Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is the latest to report that an agreement between the Cowboys and franchise WR Dez Bryant “isn’t out of the question this week.”
- La Canfora expects talks to continue evolving in the coming days and possibly conclude by midweek.
Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan first reported last week that the Cowboys are “very optimistic” about having an agreement in place with Bryant shortly after the holiday weekend.
Fisher later mentioned (via Jason Cole) that Bryant could end up securing a seven-year extension worth $100 million deal when all is said and done.
This would leave Bryant in the range of Calvin Johnson‘s record-setting seven-year, $113 million extension he signed with the Lions back in 2012.
According to Cole, the interesting watermark in Johnson’s contract was the $48 million guaranteed he received from the Lions.
The Cowboys and Bryant’s agent, Tom Condon, had their first face-to-face meeting in nearly four months a few weeks ago.
There hadn’t been any reported progress between the two parties before this meeting, but talk persists that there is at least a chance the two parties could have an agreement in place before the July 15 deadline to negotiate with franchise players.
Bryant previously threatened to hold out of Week 1’s game unless they were able to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that sources around the league aren’t buying Bryant’s threat.
Dallas used their franchise tag on Bryant a few months ago, which means they’re looking at paying him a salary of $12.823 million fully guaranteed for the 2015 season. A long-term extension would offer them some immediate cap relief, but all indications have been that the Cowboys are approaching this situation with a great deal of caution.
Bryant, 26, caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns over the course of 16 games for Dallas last year. Pro Football Focus has Bryant rated as the No. 2 wide receiver in the league.
We’ll have more regarding Bryant and the Cowboys as the news is available.
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