Healthy Sean Lee earns defensive MVP honors, ready to earn per-game incentive
The Cowboys feted Sean Lee on Wednesday, naming him their defensive MVP for 2015 as well as their Ed Block Courage Award winner. Lee, who missed all of the 2014 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, returned last season to play in 14 games, make 156 tackles and earn Pro Bowl honors.
“I have had so much support,” Lee said after the team’s annual Kickoff Luncheon, becoming emotional. “That’s what gets me the most emotional. People have supported me and stuck with me through tough times, injury after injury. I have had so much support. That’s why I have been able to come back better.”
Lee, who has missed 36 of a possible 96 games with various injuries in six seasons, had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason. He has not fully participated in practice since playing 18 snaps in the Seattle game last week, but an MRI on Monday revealed nothing unforeseen.
Lee said he’s merely dealing with “a little bit of soreness.”
“It’s nothing serious,” Lee said. “It’s just managing. I have had a couple of surgeries on the knee, just managing. I will be ready to go for game week and ready to go for the first game.”
Lee, 30, got more good news Wednesday. The Cowboys reworked his deal, giving him a chance to earn the $2 million he missed in 2015 because of a hamstring injury that kept him out of the season finale.
The Cowboys will pay the weakside linebacker $125,000 for every game he plays, sources said. The team also converted $2 million of Lee’s $3 million base salary into a signing bonus.
Lee missed out on a play-time incentive in his contract that stated if he played at least 80 percent of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps his base salary in 2016 would increase by $2 million to $5 million.
The Cowboys hope Lee plays all 16 games this season and recoups the $2 million.
“I expect Sean just to have a fantastic year,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “He’s prepared. He’s ready to go, and of course, he’ll be ready to go against the Giants.”
The Cowboys named running back Darren McFadden their offensive MVP for 2015, and punter Chris Jones and kicker Dan Bailey shared special teams MVP honors. Former safety Darren Woodson earned the team’s Tom Landry Legend Award.
This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Healthy Sean Lee earns defensive MVP honors, ready to earn per-game incentive."