OXNARD, Calif. – While the Cowboys are "disappointed" that defensive end Jeremy Mincey is not at training camp with his teammates as of Wednesday afternoon, it doesn't seem like the club is willing to budge too much on the new contract Mincey is reportedly seeking.
The veteran defensive end is currently holding out and could miss parts if not all of training camp as he tries to get either more years on his contract that expires after this year, and/or more than the $1.5 base salary for this season. Mincey is expected to count just $1.7 million on the cap.
In the Cowboys' opening press conference Wednesday from Oxnard, Stephen Jones, the team's Executive VP and Director of Player Personnel, said there won't be any negotiations on the deal, especially if he continues to hold out.
"He's a player under contract and we expect all players under contract to be here," Stephen Jones said. "We've talked to him about it. We certainly won't be talking to him about it if he's not here."
Mincey signed a two-year deal as an unrestricted free agent in March of 2014. He led the team in sacks last year with six, along with becoming a surprise leader in the locker room.
"Jeremy obviously did a great job for us last year, he was a big part of our success on the defensive side of the football," Jones said. "We have nothing but the upmost respect for him. He did a great job for us. But he is under contract. When he signed that contract last year, his representative was there, he was all for it and he signed it. It's not a long-term deal. It's over at the end of this year."
If Mincey misses practice on Thursday, the Cowboys can fine him up to $30,000 per day.
"We fully expect him to be here and if he's not, there is recourse for us as well in terms of, he would be fined if he misses camp," Jones added. "But it is disappointing. We expect him to be here. We want him to be here and he can be a big part of this team."
If he continues to miss, the Cowboys will likely go with Greg Hardy and DeMarcus Lawrence as the starting ends, with Randy Gregory getting plenty of reps as well.
Other defensive ends on the roster include Jack Crawford, Ben Gardner, Ryan Russell and Efe Obada.
