Cowboys VP Stephen Jones told reporters that there’s “a real possibility” that they could have an agreement in place either before or during the 2014 season with WR Dez Bryant.
“We’re certainly taking a long look at that,” Jones said during an interview on 1310 The Ticket, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “As we do with any great player in our organization who’s nearing the end of a contract, we start to look at it and see how we might structure something going forward. I think that’s a possibility, yes.”
Bryant recently mentioned that the two sides had discussed an extension, so this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
The structure of the deal will obviously be an important. Some beat writers have suggested that the Cowboys could go with larger base salaries and more of a pay-as-you-go contract rather than include a huge signing bonus.
Bryant, 25, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is already among the best wide receivers in the game. There is no question that he has earned a lucrative extension, but it will be interesting to see what kind of contract he’s looking to secure.
“Yeah, I deserve it,” Bryant told ESPNDallas.com. “I deserve it. I feel like I do. I put the work in, but I let that kind of stuff take care of itself. It is what it is. I let my agent talk about it and give me some feedback.”
Interestingly enough, Bryant didn’t rule out the idea of possibly offering the Cowboys a “hometown discount.”
“I’m loyal to the squad,” Bryant said. “I’ve always been. Me and my agent are going to talk about [a hometown discount]. We’ll talk about it. You know, this is big. This is life changing. Like I said, I’ve done everything asked of me, and we’ll see what happens.”
As things stand right now, Bryant will make $1.78 million for the 2014 season and count $5.37 million against the team’s salary cap. The Cowboys have a very limited cap space to work with, which is likely to impact when an agreement ultimately gets done.
Pro Football Focus has Bryant rated as the No. 22 wide receiver in the league. In 2013, Bryant hauled 93 receptions for 1233 yards to go along with a career-high 13 touchdowns.
Bryant should be able to come close to and possibly even surpass Brandon Marshall‘s four-year, $40 million which includes $22.3 million guaranteed.
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