The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a contract with former Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, the team announced on Wednesday. Here are a few things to know about Hardy and his deal, which has an unusual structure.

1. The money: Hardy's contract is one year in length and can be worth up to $13.1 million. Reports indicate that he has a minimum base salary with various incentives baked in based on playing time and sacks that could raise the value of the deal. It also contains a no-franchise/transition tag clause, which means Hardy will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason unless he receives an in-season extension from the Cowboys.

The sack-based incentives can be worth up to approximately $1.8 million, while games played roster bonuses could add up to as much as $9.25 million and there is also a roster bonus of about $1.3 million. Add to that a $750,000 base salary and you come to a $13.1 million ceiling. Here are a couple visual breakdowns that might clear that up:

The base salary of $750,000 is low for a player of Hardy's caliber, while the games played bonuses are obviously there to protect the Cowboys in case Hardy is suspended under the personal conduct policy. If Hardy receives the six-game suspension that has been rumored and he's active for the remaining 10 games, he'd earn $5,781,250 in incentives. Added to the $750,000 base and $1.3 million roster bonus, his salary would reach $7,842,580, which would place him somewhere between 12th and 14th among defensive ends in terms of 2015 cap hits.

Based on all those numbers, Spotrac has Hardy counting for approximately $2.635 million against Dallas' cap in 2015 at this moment, leaving the Cowboys with $2.435 million remaining in cap space. That's the second-lowest number in the league behind only the Saints. They can create more by restructuring Tony Romo's contract that currently sports a league-high $27.773 million cap hit, or mandating that Brandon Carr take a pay cut and designating him a post-June 1 cut if he refuses.

2. Hardy's production: When last seen on an NFL field, Hardy was one of the best defensive players in the league, routinely and indiscriminately overpowering tackles, quarterbacks and running backs alike. In his most recent 32 games (15 in 2012, 16 in 2013, one in 2014), Hardy recorded 121 tackles, 27 sacks and four forced fumbles. On the field, he is a true force, a disruptor in every facet of the game.

Hardy was Pro Football Focus' sixth-ranked 4-3 defensive end in 2012 and he ranked second in 2013. In those two seasons, he totaled 141 quarterback pressures and hit the quarterback 36 times. And he was more than just a pass-rush specialist, recording a "run stop" on 8.7 percent of snaps against opposing runs, per PFF's data. That's good enough to place within the top-five run-defending 4-3 ends in most seasons. His only on-field weakness was a penchant for penalties; he was called for 14 in those two seasons.

3. How he fits in Dallas: Hardy is immediately the best defensive lineman on the Cowboys, as he'd be on most teams. Above all else, he should help their lacking pass rush.

The Cowboys had only 28 sacks last season, fifth-fewest in the league. Their Adjusted Sack Rate, per Football Outsiders, was just 4.7 percent, far below the league average of 6.6 percent and the fourth-worst mark in the NFL.

While Hardy played mostly on the right side of the line with Carolina, he seems likely to slot in at the left defensive end spot in Dallas, where he'll play across from Demarcus Lawrence, with Jeremy Mincey spelling both players. Lawrence didn't play much last season -- he missed the first eight games after a foot injury suffered in camp -- and wasn't hugely impressive while on the field until the playoffs, when he flashed the quarterback-chasing ability that led Dallas to sacrifice a third-round pick to trade up for the former Boise State product. Mincey was probably Dallas' best defensive end last season, playing all 16 games and sacking the quarterback six times.

If Anthony Spencer returns to Dallas, he'll probably get snaps on the left side along with Hardy, and Dallas is also expected to take a long look at the defensive end spot in this year's draft. Rob Rang, Dane Brugler and Pete Prisco all have the Cowboys taking a defensive end in the first round in their most recent mock drafts, though that could change with the Hardy signing.

Hardy also brings an element of versatility, able to line up inside at tackle on some plays. He shares this trait with Tyrone Crawford, who started last season as an end before bumping inside to tackle and becoming arguably Dallas' most impactful defensive player. The ability to mix and match players along the line is one that appeals to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who values being able to bring pass-rushers in waves. Hardy fits right in.

4. Off the field issues: Of course, this is the reason Hardy's contract is structured the way it is, and why he's in Dallas rather than still with the Panthers on a long-term deal. Hardy became embroiled in a nasty domestic violence case last offseason, where he was accused of assaulting and threatening to kill former girlfriend Nicole Holder. The details of the allegations are disturbing. Per the Charlotte Observer:

Hardy, Holder said, flung her from the bed, threw her into a bathtub, then tossed her on a futon covered with rifles. Holder said Hardy ripped a necklace he had given her off her neck, threw it into a toilet and slammed the lid on her arm when she tried to fish it out.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Hardy dragged her by the hair room to room, she said, before putting his hands around her throat.

“He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me,” said Holder, 24, who said she used to live with Hardy.

“I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said, ‘Just do it. Kill me.’ ”

Later, as Holder said she was held by her former boyfriend’s personal assistant, she said Hardy made the 911 call, showed her the phone, and said, “Run, little girl. You’re going to jail.”

Hardy was found guilty in a bench trial conducted in July 2014, which, under North Carolina law, automatically triggered his right to a jury trial in Superior Court. (For more about this  process, see here.) That second trial was scheduled to take place in early February of this year, but after Hardy and Holder reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement, she informed prosecutors that she no longer wanted to cooperate and refused to testify against him. Prosecutors were unable to locate her even after "extraordinary efforts," and as a result, the case against Hardy was dismissed.

As his case was technically still pending when last season started, Hardy played in Carolina's season opener. After that, the Panthers placed him on the Commissioner's Exempt List for the remainder of the season. Hardy was on a one-year deal with Carolina due to being franchise tagged in 2014, so he became a free agent at season's end.

It is also still possible that Hardy is served with a six-game suspension under the league's new personal conduct policy as a result of his alleged transgressions, another factor that likely shrunk the already small market for a player with such well-known off-field issues.

5. What's left of the market: Hardy was the 14th-ranked player and fourth-ranked edge rusher -- behind Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul and Pernell McPhee -- on our free agent big board. Houston and Pierre-Paul were franchise tagged by the Chiefs and Giants, respectively, while McPhee signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Bears. The only outside pass-rusher left on our board is former Lions end George Johnson (50), while B.J. Raji (51), C.J. Mosley (58), Tommy Kelly (78) and Pat Sims (80) are the other remaining defensive linemen.

Greg Hardy has found a new home. (Getty Images)