Dez Bryant turned down multiyear offer from Ravens
By Chris Wesseling
The Ravens wanted Dez Bryant but settled for Willie Snead.
Baltimore has indeed shown the most interest in signing Bryant, but the two sides couldn't agree on contract length, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, via a source informed of the situation.
The Ravens needed a multiyear deal to fit Bryant's number under the salary cap, per Rapoport. The former Cowboys star, conversely, is seeking a one-year contract that will enable him to test the market again in 2019.
In other words, Bryant is banking on a bounce-back year to rehabilitate his league-wide value.
That's a high-risk approach for a player attempting to reverse the decline phase of his career. The Ravens' offer was "pretty lucrative," Rapoport added on NFL Up to the Minute, in the neighborhood of the three-year, $21 million deal signed by Michael Crabtree.
Once it became evident that common ground wouldn't be reached, the Ravens switched gears, coaxing Snead away from the Saints with a two-year contract worth up to $10.4 million.
Bryant, meanwhile, has been left to twist in the wind, hoping the Giants have a change of heart in the coming weeks. At this point, Rapoport reported earlier Wednesday, the Cowboys' career leader in receiving touchdowns is expected to wait until after the draft before finding a new NFL home.
