Cowboys & Dez Bryant Finalizing Five-Year, $70M Extension

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Cowboys and WR Dez Bryant are finalizing a five-year contract extension worth $70 million.

• Chris Mortensen reports that Bryant’s contract will include $45 million guaranteed.
• Pro Football Talk reports that the agreement includes $23 million for the 2015 season in the form of signings bonuses and salary.
• Beyond that, another $22 million becomes fully guaranteed in March of 2016, according to PFT.
• ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Bryant is on his way to the Cowboys’ facility.

At $70 million, Bryant would come away with an annual salary of $14 million, which is higher than the proposed $13.5 million that others had suggested. However, it’s also shy of Calvin Johnson‘s $16 million per year.

As Spotrac points out, this contract would leave Dez as the second highest paid receiver in terms of total value, annual salary, and guarantees.

Last night, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the Cowboys are expected to include “broad language” in their offer to Bryant that would void future fully-guaranteed payments in the event he’s arrested, incarcerated, or even detained by police.

We’ll have to see if the Cowboys are able to get Dez to sign another team-friendly agreement and what the full guarantees are, assuming that talks progress towards a finalized deal.

Bryant, 26, received the Cowboys franchise tag a few months ago and would have made a base salary of $12.823 million fully guaranteed for the 2015 season.

In 2014, 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.