Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant may be threatening to hold out and miss regular season games, but owner Jerry Jones doesn't appear to be too concerned. The two sides have until July 15th to work out a long-term extension, and if they don't, Jones still believes Bryant will be present and accounted for in Week 1.
"If we're still in a franchise situation with Dez, I have no doubt that he'll be leading the way against the New York Giants," Jones said via ESPN during the team's second minicamp practice Wednesday, a practice Bryant was obviously not present for. "We just know how competitive Dez is and how much he wants to beat the Giants and how much he wants to support his teammates."
From an outsider's perspective, it looks as if this could become a lengthy ordeal. But Jones believes that not only will Bryant return to the team, but he'll come back in time for training camp which begins on July 28. Bryant is not required to show up for training camp if he has not signed his franchise tender.
Players do not get paid until the start of the regular season. If Bryant chose to sit out the season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 13, he would be docked $754,000.
If the two sides do not reach an agreement by July 15 then Bryant will have to play out the season on the franchise tag, which will pay him $12.83 million this year. Missing game time offers no financial gain for Bryant, however, it could force the Cowboys to agree not to use a tag on him again in 2016. A similar agreement was made with free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, who signed a one-year deal in March.
Bryant briefly explained his position on Twitter on Wednesday:
Everybody voicing opinions..13 mil is cool but Where is my security? I'll wait ...5 years without complaining..So how am I selfish? #family1
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) June 17, 2015
Jones has said that he does not disagree with Bryant's stance and has maintained a close dialogue with him.
"I am sympathetic to it and understand it completely," Jones said. "And I would like nothing more than to have long-term security with Dez. Now that's where you get right down to it. We've worked together great for five years...The fact that he's as substantive as he is relatively speaking to the way he came in the league, the criticism that he was taking, I was taking, is really rewarding. We've got more. There's more ahead. And he's, by the way, got a chance to be better in my view in the future. But we've got to get it all done to everybody's satisfaction."
