A bevy of reports have emerged in recent days suggesting that the Dallas Cowboys and wide receiver Dez Bryant either were or weren't angling closer and closer to a long-term contract extension.
The latest report, from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, suggests that neither of those is quite accurate and that, in reality, talks have stagnated and nothing is "imminent" between the two sides.
"I don't know where they get the optimism from," the source said regarding the reports out of Dallas, via Florio. "There's literally nothing going on."
Talks between the Cowboys and Bryant were reportedly in such good shape and looking so promising last week that the team and player both felt it wasn't a problem to break negotiations off for the Fourth of July weekend and finish hammering out all the tiny, unimportant details once the nation's biggest and most important holiday had passed.
Just prior to the holiday kicking off though, another report emerged suggesting a much less rosy picture of negotiations. It alleged that the Cowboys had dug in on their most recent offer, due in large part to a belief on behalf of Jerry and Stephen Jones that Bryant is suffering from money issues and therefore there is little-to-no validity to Bryant's threat that he may hold out or miss the beginning of the regular season in protest because he simply can't afford to lose the game checks.
If Bryant's money issues are real, it seems all the leverage really does belong to the Cowboys - to an even greater extent than it already did.
Dallas is the house - the odds are stacked massively in their favor and while they need Bryant in order for the offense to operate to its fullest potential next season, Bryant is a short-term commodity attempting to leverage himself against a long-term game.
The Cowboys have won without Bryant and they would continue to win without him. There's zero chance of his playing for any team beside Dallas next season or for the foreseeable future considering they own his rights within the scope of the NFL. The Jones' and Co. can simply wait out Bryant who simply can't afford to pass up any opportunity at capitalizing on a high-level earning potential that's likely to last less than a decade.
