In the hours leading up to Wednesday's 4 p.m. deadline for the NFL's franchise tagged players to hammer out and put pen to paper on new long-term contract extensions with their respective teams, a report emerged that the Dallas Cowboys were apprehensive about doing a deal with Dez Bryant due in large part to concern over his overall behavior now and in the future.
The report alleged that a major sticking point in talks had developed over the inclusion of language that would allow the Cowboys to cut ties with the mercurial talent at any point should he get into off-the-field trouble or prove more of a headache than they expected.
It now seems that report was either out-and-out wrong or the Cowboys eventually caved on what would seem from the outside to be a very important requirement when handing out $45 million guaranteed.
The Cowboys put no such safeguards into Bryant's new five-year, $70 million contract, according to a report from Jon Machota of DallasNews.com.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones addressed the report at a press conference announcing Bryant's new deal.
"As you know, the league has been addressing conduct policy significantly over the last 18 months," Jones said, per Machota. "Consequently, we put into any new contracts the things that the league wants in the contract relative to conduct, and Dez has the same thing in his and no more than other veterans that we recently signed."
Byron Jones, the Cowboys first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has language in his contract that, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, wipes out any future guarantees in the event of a suspension, arrest, incarceration or detainment by the police.
"Also, any fines under the substance-abuse policy or Personal Conduct Policy would trigger a voiding of the guarantees, as would something as simple as missing a rehab session while injured," writes Florio.
"One source told PFT that the Cowboys included similar language in other contracts signed by veteran free agents in 2015. In contrast, undrafted offensive lineman La'El Collins will have his guarantees voided only if he retires or if he's arrested or charged in connection with the double murder about which he was questioned immediately after the draft."
In the end, while this means that the Cowboys didn't push for what you could term "special" safeguards against Bryant's behavior, they do still have ample recourse to void his massive guaranteed figure should he become something of a problem-child after receiving his big new deal.
