It seems the rapidly approaching deadline for franchise tagged players to negotiate new long-term deals with their respective teams, this Wednesday July 15, has pushed Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant to the point of bluntness.
Bryant and the Cowboys have danced around his contract status much of this offseason, with various reports indicating that a deal was close, that a deals was far away, that the two sides were facing a "wide gap" in negotiations and even that Bryant was willing to holdout, missing training camp, the preseason and even some of the 2015 regular season if Cowboys owners Stephen and Jerry Jones didn't pony up the dough and pay the mercurial wideout what he believes he is truly worth.
According to the latest report, from Ed Werder of ESPN, it seems Bryant has become frustrated enough to actually place a personal phone-call to Stephen and promise that his threats are not of the idle variety.
Sources: @DezBryant personally called Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones to say he won't attend camp, will miss real games unless signed by Wed.
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) July 13, 2015
Bryant, of course, has posted three straight seasons of over 1,200 yards receiving and ten-plus touchdowns. Last year, en route to aiding the Cowboys in reaching the postseason for the first time since 2009, Bryant collected 88 receptions for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns.
More important than the totals, perhaps, was the manner in which he amassed such stats. At several points throughout the season, Bryant looked like he was developing into perhaps the best wide receiver in the NFL. While older veterans like Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson have fallen off somewhat thanks to age and injury, Bryant seems to be just entering his prime and along with a player like the Broncos' Demaryius Thomas, may now represent the next wave of elite NFL receivers (though, both franchises likely hope any talk of Bryant and Thomas in the same article doesn't go beyond their respectively impressive stats).
For Jones and the Cowboys, they hold nearly all the cards in this situation, especially if they really do, as reports have suggested, believe that Bryant is experiencing money problems. For Bryant, if the deadline passes, there doesn't seem to be anything for him to gain from holding out other than to indicate his displeasure and dissatisfaction in as clear and petulant a manner as possible.
Then again, as a young millionaire likely self-assured of his own greatness, it wouldn't be surprising to see Bryant hold out, confident in the belief that the team simply won't be able to operate without him.
In a sense, he'll be right, but in the long run, he'll only be hampering his own earning power.
