The reason the Detroit Lions elected to release kicker Dave Rayner on Monday is because there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Jason Hanson showed during the first three weeks of the preseason that the starting job is still his, and the Lions opted to release Rayner sooner rather than later in order to give him a chance to find a home elsewhere.
As it turns out, it didn't take Rayner very long to find a new job. Shortly after he was released, the Dallas Cowboys expressed interest in Rayner. At first reports were that Rayner was merely getting a workout, but this doesn't sound like the kind of treatment a player gets for coming to town for only a workout.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Jones was so intent on having Rayner sign with the Cowboys that he dispatched his private plane to Metro Detroit and had Rayner flown to Texas.
Dave Birkett reports that Rayner will sign with the Cowboys on Tuesday, which is good to hear. Rayner deserves to be a starting kicker in the NFL somewhere, and it's great for him that he is already apparently set to join the Cowboys.
(On an unrelated note, former Lions wide receiver Bryant Johnson has also found a new home in Texas. Houston signed him on Monday.)