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Monday marked the beginning of free agency tampering across the National Football League and there was plenty of news for a handful of NFL teams. The Dallas Cowboys are generally stagnant when it comes to the beginning of free agency and this year proved no different. Prior to the proverbial five o’clock hour all the Cowboys had really done was retain Noah Brown, but then news struck.
While other teams were off signing talent to help their squads this coming season, the Cowboys moved on from one of the all-time greats in franchise history. ESPN reported that Dallas is moving on from long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur after 16 years. It is the end of an era.
After 16 seasons, the L.P. Ladouceur era in Dallas is over with the Cowboys and the club is talking with with long snapper Jake McQuaid of the Rams, according to sources. Ladouceur spent 16 seasons with the Cowboys and would have set the franchise record for most games played in 2021. He played in 253 games, two behind the all-time leader Jason Witten. Ladouceur, 40, did not have a poor snap in his entire career. McQuaid would be reunited with coordinator John Fassel and kicker Greg Zuerlein.
This is rather shocking given that Ladouceur had been the longest point of consistency on the Cowboys roster for the last decade and a half. As Todd Archer notes, he literally never had a bad snap in the silver and blue. It’s also being reported that Ladouceur is not retiring.
L.P. Ladouceur turned 40 on Saturday, rather. He has planned on playing in 2021, but it won’t be with Cowboys. Fassel has brought two of his three specialists from Rams to Dallas. Long snapper Jake McQuaide joins kicker Greg Zuerlein.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 15, 2021
Perhaps this was just a case of the Cowboys wanting to get John Fassel’s (and theoretically Greg Zuerlein’s as well) guy in Jake McQuaide (a two-time Pro Bowler by the way). Why though? Again, Ladouceur was literally flawless. It will be interesting to find out the reason they decided to move on. His cap number this past season was even below $1M.
There is, in all seriousness, a case that L.P. deserves to be in the Cowboys Ring of Honor someday. He is the last member of the organization who had played in Texas Stadium which means the Cowboys are now firmly in the future.
This past season L.P. set a new record for NFL games played in by a Canadian. It seems that his incredible streak may continue, just elsewhere.
Fare thee well, L.P..