When the Ravens traded retired linebacker Rolando McClain to Dallas earlier this week, it seemed Ozzie Newsome had pulled off a heist, gaining a sixth-round draft pick for a player who has retired twice in the past year, never played a down for the Ravens and has said he was “done” with football.
But the trade is not as one-sided as originally thought.
In fact, it’s clear that the Cowboys were aware of McClain’s history, and put plenty of conditions on the deal that turns it into a no-risk proposition for each side.
According to the terms of the deal per the Cowboys official site, the Ravens will receive a sixth-round pick in exchange for a seventh-round pick only if McClain plays 50 percent of the Cowboys defensive snaps this coming season. If he plays less, but if McClain is on the 53-man roster for five games or on the 46-man roster for at least three games, Dallas and the Ravens will swap seventh-round picks — but only if the Cowboys have the better pick.
And if McClain fails to make the team, the Ravens get nothing in the deal.