Frayser High alum Ken Hamlin gets huge contract from Cowboys

Associated Press
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys safety Ken Hamlin won't have to wait until after the season for a long-term contract.

The Cowboys and Hamlin, a former Arkansas and Frayser High standout, agreed Tuesday on a $39 million, six-year deal that includes a $9 million signing bonus and guarantees the Pro Bowl safety about $15 million.

After coming to Dallas on a $2.5 million free-agent deal following four years in Seattle, Hamlin, 27, set career highs with five interceptions and 102 tackles for the Cowboys last season. He was a starter for the NFC in his first Pro Bowl.

Hamlin didn't participate in offseason workouts because he never signed a one-year, $4.4million tender after the Cowboys in February designated him as their franchise player.

Had Hamlin not reached another deal by Tuesday, he would have had to play the 2008 season under the one-year deal based on the average salary of the five highest-paid safeties in the NFL. He then wouldn't have been able to sign a multiyear contract until after the season.