 On May 15, McClain announced his retirement at the age of 23, having never played a down for the Ravens.On July 1, 2014, after linebacker Sean Lee was lost for the season, the Dallas Cowboys acquired McClain along with a seventh-round pick (#243-Laurence Gibson) from the Ravens, in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft (#204-Darren Waller).At the time the move was seen as a gamble because of his previous career history and character concerns.