Cowboys Have Had Preliminary Talks With WR Dez Bryant Regarding An Extension

According to Cowboys WR Dez Bryant, the two sides have had “preliminary talks” regarding a contract extension.

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’s hard to say when an agreement could be in place.

“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 included $22.3 million guaranteed.