The Dallas Cowboys slapped wide receiver Dez Bryant with the franchise tag this offseason. Although he'll earn just south of $13 million this season, Bryant isn't happy with the situation and wants a long-term contract.
It's in Dallas' best interest to come to terms on an extension with Bryant sooner rather than later. It will help lower his cap hit for 2015 and ensure that the Cowboys keep one of the game's preeminent wide receivers in Big D. So how there been any progress? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer in his weekly mailbag.
"Do you mean are they burning up the phone lines talking about a deal? No. Could something happen before the July 15 deadline? Absolutely. Sometimes deadlines can make deals. Sometimes when sides show a willingness to come off their number deals happen. It just hasn't happened yet. The Cowboys want Bryant to be with them for a long time. Bryant wants to be a Cowboy. Just because both sides want something doesn't make it easier to happen. There are a lot of things to work through in deals that will be as big as Bryant's that pertain to more than just money. The Cowboys know they will pay Bryant about $28.5 million over the next two years under the franchise tag if need be. But the Cowboys also know Demaryius Thomas is going through the same deal in Denver and Julio Jones and A.J. Green will be free agents soon too. Coming up with the right framework can be hard. Maybe not this hard, but hard. To me, I can see Bryant getting a deal worth at or around $100 million, which doesn't mean much in NFL terms, and $38-$40 million guaranteed, which matters a lot more. The sides know the end result. It's just getting through the maze right now."
Jerry Jones made the right move by resisting a mega deal for running back DeMarco Murray in free agency this offseason. One of the reasons he did that was so the team would have the cap space to re-sign Bryant. It may not be today, tomorrow or even this year, but expect the two sides to get a deal done.
