Enough already. If you're like me, you just want this thing to be resolved – for more reasons than one.
This Dez Bryant contract situation was interesting at first, but now it's getting a bit annoying. Mainly because I don't know if anyone really believes Dez is going to miss any games, or even training camp for that matter.
And this comes after Dez was quoted this week, calling a report that he might miss the season opener a "legit" possibility.
To me, this is all part of the negotiation. No one wants to play football more than Dez. No one wants to be around his teammates more than him. I don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but sometimes things are said during a negotiation that might be more of a scare tactic.
I don't think the Cowboys are truly scared by that because he'll be under the franchise tag. And if a deal isn't completed by then, he really won't have a real reason to sit out because the Cowboys won't be allowed – under NFL rules – to give him a new deal.
Get the Emmitt Smith situation out of your head because it's not the same. Once July 15 rolls around, there is no more negotiating until the end of the season. And even then, the Cowboys can slap the franchise tag on him again.
So this sounds like the Cowboys don't have to do anything and can just wait. That's what my man David Helman is trying to convince you, and he's not wrong.
But personally, for the sake of everyone, the Cowboys and Dez, and the team, and the coaches, and the fans, and the media, will all benefit from a deal getting done here in the next month.[embeddedad0]
Oh, let's not forget the salary cap as well. While we don't expect the Cowboys to make any more major moves this season, getting some extra space on the books has its benefits.
Remember this, if Dez plays under the tag this year he'll count $12.8 million on the cap. It's on the books right now and the Cowboys could keep it this way and be OK.
But to me, it's like renting a house for a year when you know you're probably going to buy it. Why not just use the money you're spending and get something out of it? We all know Dez wants a contract in the range of $15-16 million to get into Calvin Johnson's neighborhood, if not more. He also wants more than $30 million in guarantees and probably well over $40 million as well.
But if the Cowboys can truly take a $12.8 million hit on the cap this year, why not make that part of the guarantee? It's going to be guaranteed anyway.
And plus, we see these contracts that are supposed to average out to $15 million per season, but the first year has like a $4 million cap charge. Basically that means, at some point, another season has to count $26 million on the books. We know that's not going to happen, and it means the player won't reach the end of the deal.
So my point to all of this is simple. Get a contract done with Dez right now and make a lot of it guaranteed this year. That way if it's a seven-year deal, maybe longer, he has the chance to play most of it because you didn't backload the contract just trying to get under the cap.
This $12.8 million is under the cap right now. So I'd try to get him signed and maybe even keep his figure pretty high right now. It'll help in the long run.
That's just the fiscal side of it. Getting Dez back is important both emotionally and statistically.
He's the most gifted player on the field and the most passionate. The Cowboys miss Dez when he's not here. That goes for a game in September or a practice in June.
No, the Cowboys don't HAVE to get Dez Bryant signed to a long-term deal. But, it benefits too many people to wait around.
