Veteran Linebacker Spurns 49ers for Cowboys With Free Agency Decision

Veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, a former first-team All-Pro for the Minnesota Vikings, had an agreement in place to join the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday. Instead, he’s flipped to one of the 49ers’ NFC rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN’s Todd Archer reported Wednesday night that the 32-year-old will sign a one-year contract with the Cowboys.

The move reunites him with his former Vikings head coach, Mike Zimmer, who’s now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy. Zimmer, who is in his first year with the franchise, specifically wanted Kendricks as he builds out his new defense, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Terms of Kendricks’s deal with Dallas have not been reported. Last season, he played for the Los Angeles Chargers, signing a two-year, $13.25 million deal with the franchise. He was a salary cap casualty this offseason, with the Chargers saving $6.5 million as a result of his release.

• 2024 NFL Free Agency: Latest News & Analysis

Kendricks was productive during his one year in L.A., recording 117 combined tackles and 3 1/2 sacks in 15 games. Kendricks has been a workhorse throughout his career, playing in 132 of 147 possible games in his nine-year career so far.

Kendricks is also the first Cowboys move of the 2024 NFL free agency period, after days of inactivity from Jerry Jones’s front office.

#Cowboys Eric Kendricks already seems prepared for the move to Texas.

His wife, Ally, posted the playful video of him in a Cowboy hat after the signing was announced.

She added, “he’s ready y’all.” ????

(????: @ allykendricks on IG) pic.twitter.com/WnpEIaqYqE

— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) March 14, 2024