The Cowboys signed defensive end Benson Mayowa this offseason and it seems he wasn’t the only restricted free agent to catch their eye in the last few weeks.
Guard Tim Lelito got an original-round tender from the Saints before free agency opened, leaving him available to sign an offer sheet with other teams without any draft pick compensation going back to New Orleans if they opted not to match. Lelito said the Cowboys extended him an offer, but that he passed on it because he didn’t want to resign himself to life as a reserve in Dallas.
“You have to weigh your options and it’s a gamble,” Lelito said, via WWL. “So you can go somewhere else and be a backup for a couple years with less money or you can try to go into a one-year tender and do the best you can and hopefully come out with a little better contract after it.”
Lelito hasn’t signed his $1.67 million tender yet, but expects to return to the Saints barring a late (and unlikely) offer that trumps it in terms of money and opportunity. Lelito started 13 games for the Saints last year and his chances of remaining with the first team don’t look bad with Jahri Evans out of the picture and no new arrivals at guard in free agency.
