Tuesday was payday for right tackle La’el Collins, who agreed to a five-year extension worth $50 million with the Dallas Cowboys. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that $35 million of that figure is guaranteed.
Collins was heading into the final year of his two-year $15.4 million deal. He started all 16 games in 2017 and 2018 at right tackle following a transition from left guard.
He went undrafted in 2015 after being named as a person of interest in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend and unborn child. The Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent in the days following that year’s draft.
“I think this has been one of the best things that happened to me going in,” Collins said Monday. “For me, [ending up in Dallas] prolonged my career in a way of the coaching I’ve been able to get (to) develop as a player. Just learning some things from those guys, learning things from veteran guys when I got here has really helped me. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
