Cowboys sign Vanderjagt to three-year contract
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Breaking from their recent history of employing young placement specialists who worked for minimum wages, the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday signed unrestricted free agent kicker Mike Vanderjagt, a colorful eight-year veteran who is the NFL's career leader in field goal percentage.
League sources confirmed for ESPN.com that Vanderjagt, who arrived in Dallas on Wednesday to visit with Cowboys coaches and team officials, signed a three-year contract. Financial details were not yet available, but it is believed the contract averages about $2 million annually.
Adding a kicker of Vanderjagt's profile and price range is out of character for the Cowboys. Under owner Jerry Jones, the team's preference has been to develop its own kickers, often undrafted college free agents, and to invest very little in the position. But the Cowboys went through three kickers in 2005, converted only 21 of 27 field goal tries, and suffered all season at the position.
Dallas lost three games in 2005 by three points or fewer, and that may have swayed the team's thinking in pursuing a more proven and dependable placement specialist.
In Vanderjagt, the Cowboys are getting a kicker whose last effort, a missed 46-yard field goal attempt in the Indianapolis Colts' divisional-round loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, is not indicative of his career in the league. The veteran kicker, who began his professional career in the CFL after playing at West Virginia University, has never scored fewer than 104 points and has averaged 124.3 points.
Vanderjagt, who turns 36 next week, has converted 217 of 248 field goals, and that 87.5 percent success rate is the best in league history. He has also made 344 of 346 extra point tries.
The only shortcoming in Vanderjagt's game are his kickoffs, on which he has averaged 60.2 yards. The Colts employed a separate kickoff specialist to handle those chores the past two seasons. Vanderjagt has insisted he can kick off, however, and it remains to be seen how the Cowboys deal with that element.
Good signing, Jerry. Keep 'em coming.