Dez Bryant extension from Dallas Cowboys ‘nearly impossible’
The decision by the Dallas Cowboys to sign left tackle Tyron Smith to an eight-year extension worth $98 million means Pro Bowl wide receiver, Dez Bryant is likely going to have to wait to resolve his contract issues, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
With Tyron Smith’s deal, it’s nearly impossible to do Dez Bryant’s extension now. Little progress anyway. He may benefit from playing it out
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2014
Bryant, 25, is entering the final year of his rookie contract he signed when the team selected him in the first round out of Oklahoma State that will pay him $1.78 million for the 2014 season and count $5.37 million against the team’s salary cap.
He has his best pro season last season to cement himself firmly inside the top five receivers in the game after a career-best 93-catch season with 1,233 yards and a career-high 13 touchdown receptions in 2013.
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Bryant has earned a contract commensurate with the top receivers in the NFL based on his production over the past two seasons, but it appears that the new deal will not be coming during the season for the 2013 Pro Bowl selection, but that could be a good thing for Bryant if he improves on the numbers he posted a year ago and continues to grow as a leader.
Worst-case scenario is the Cowboys apply the franchise tag to Bryant and he plays the 2015 season on a one-year tender offer while the two parties continue to negotiate a long-term extension.
The Cowboys want Bryant and Bryant wants the Cowboys, so a split between the two would appear highly unlikely at the time, the Cowboys simply need to free up salary cap space to give Bryant the deal he deserves and he even told ESPNDallas.com the possibility for a hometown discount exists.
“I’m loyal to the squad,” Bryant said. “I’ve always been. Me and my agent are going to talk about [a hometown discount]. We’ll talk about it. You know, this is big. This is life changing. Like I said, I’ve done everything asked of me, and we’ll see what happens.”