AP

The long-awaited Doug Free pay cut has arrived.

Free, the Cowboys’ starting right tackle, has agreed to a new deal that will cut his pay from $7 million to $3.5 million this season, ESPN reports.

Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones has been saying for months that he wants Free to stay around, but that he doesn’t want to pay Free $7 million. The big question has been whether the two sides could agree to a new deal that keeps Free at a more affordable price, or whether the Cowboys would release him before the start of the regular season.

As it turned out, they were able to work out a new deal long before the start of the regular season. And Free will remain on the Cowboys’ offensive line for at least another year.