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I'm Easy If You Are
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Hell of a receiver though.
Jason Cole:How the Cowboys Hedged Their Bet on Dez Bryant with a 'Brilliant' Contract
- Thread starter dallen
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All of which I don't give a shit about because he is an awesome player and a big time leader on this offense. I don't care if he pisses off potential sponsors for himself.
Jiggyfly
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Nothing ‘brilliant’ to the Dallas Cowboys’ 5-year contract with WR Dez Bryant
Brandon George / Reporter Follow @DMN_George Email
To describe the Dallas Cowboys’ five-year contract with Dez Bryant as one of the “great illusions in sports history” or even “brilliant” – words used in an online story today by Bleacher Report writer Jason Cole – would be an overstatement.
Both sides used their leverage throughout negotiations – with the Cowboys often holding the upper hand – and both sides ultimately had to give in on some of their demands to get the deal closed by the July 15 franchise tag deadline.
Who won in the end? Well, both sides did. The Cowboys removed what would have been a daily headache for them, answering when Bryant will show up for training camp. The Cowboys erased what would have been a distraction – an unhappy Bryant playing 2015 without a long-term deal. But Bryant also cashed in on his athletic ability, becoming the second-highest paid receiver in the NFL. And $45 million of his $70 million deal is guaranteed.
Bryant will have $45 million in his bank account within the next two years. The Cowboys did structure Bryant’s $20 million signing bonus in a way that gives them some latitude. Bryant has already received $6.5 million of the bonus, will get another $6.5 million as part of his 2015 paychecks and the final $7 million is deferred until next March.
But does anyone think Bryant won’t be around eight months from now? Of course not. The Cowboys wouldn’t have committed so much money to Bryant if they thought he wouldn’t be playing for them for at least the next three years.
The Cowboys have long had concerns about Bryant off the field. Jerry Jones recently said no one knows Bryant better than he does. Jones has long been aware of Bryant’s struggle with tardiness, how he’s missed meetings in the past and his financial hiccups. But Bryant’s marketing snafus with Jordan Brand is small potatoes in the Cowboys’ eyes.
Cole writes that Bryant was lined up to be the athlete featured in Pizza Hut’s TV commercial shoot in February and was on his way until he canceled at the last minute. Ultimately, it cost Bryant at least $80,000 for about 45 minutes of work. Tony Romo stepped in to shoot the commercial and accept the paycheck.
But Bryant was told to cancel on Pizza Hut, sources said. Bryant’s Roc Nation representatives didn’t sign off on the commercial for Pizza Hut because they weren’t involved in the deal and not made aware of it until hours before the scheduled shoot, sources said.
Again, this isn’t a big deal to the Cowboys.
But Jerry and Stephen Jones flew to New York a few weeks ago the night before the deal was finalized to hear face-to-face how Roc Nation is handling Bryant. The meeting lasted for more than five hours. The Jones family wanted some reassurances about how Bryant is being supported when he’s not at Valley Ranch.
And, in the end, they heard enough from Bryant’s Roc Nation representatives to feel comfortable closing the deal.
At this point, with the contract signed and the first training camp practice scheduled for Thursday in Oxnard, Calif., all this small dust surrounding Bryant has been swept under the rug. The Cowboys haven’t forgotten about Bryant’s previous missteps, but they’ve moved on with hopes that no speed bumps remain for one of the league’s elite receivers.
Brandon George / Reporter Follow @DMN_George Email
To describe the Dallas Cowboys’ five-year contract with Dez Bryant as one of the “great illusions in sports history” or even “brilliant” – words used in an online story today by Bleacher Report writer Jason Cole – would be an overstatement.
Both sides used their leverage throughout negotiations – with the Cowboys often holding the upper hand – and both sides ultimately had to give in on some of their demands to get the deal closed by the July 15 franchise tag deadline.
Who won in the end? Well, both sides did. The Cowboys removed what would have been a daily headache for them, answering when Bryant will show up for training camp. The Cowboys erased what would have been a distraction – an unhappy Bryant playing 2015 without a long-term deal. But Bryant also cashed in on his athletic ability, becoming the second-highest paid receiver in the NFL. And $45 million of his $70 million deal is guaranteed.
Bryant will have $45 million in his bank account within the next two years. The Cowboys did structure Bryant’s $20 million signing bonus in a way that gives them some latitude. Bryant has already received $6.5 million of the bonus, will get another $6.5 million as part of his 2015 paychecks and the final $7 million is deferred until next March.
But does anyone think Bryant won’t be around eight months from now? Of course not. The Cowboys wouldn’t have committed so much money to Bryant if they thought he wouldn’t be playing for them for at least the next three years.
The Cowboys have long had concerns about Bryant off the field. Jerry Jones recently said no one knows Bryant better than he does. Jones has long been aware of Bryant’s struggle with tardiness, how he’s missed meetings in the past and his financial hiccups. But Bryant’s marketing snafus with Jordan Brand is small potatoes in the Cowboys’ eyes.
Cole writes that Bryant was lined up to be the athlete featured in Pizza Hut’s TV commercial shoot in February and was on his way until he canceled at the last minute. Ultimately, it cost Bryant at least $80,000 for about 45 minutes of work. Tony Romo stepped in to shoot the commercial and accept the paycheck.
But Bryant was told to cancel on Pizza Hut, sources said. Bryant’s Roc Nation representatives didn’t sign off on the commercial for Pizza Hut because they weren’t involved in the deal and not made aware of it until hours before the scheduled shoot, sources said.
Again, this isn’t a big deal to the Cowboys.
But Jerry and Stephen Jones flew to New York a few weeks ago the night before the deal was finalized to hear face-to-face how Roc Nation is handling Bryant. The meeting lasted for more than five hours. The Jones family wanted some reassurances about how Bryant is being supported when he’s not at Valley Ranch.
And, in the end, they heard enough from Bryant’s Roc Nation representatives to feel comfortable closing the deal.
At this point, with the contract signed and the first training camp practice scheduled for Thursday in Oxnard, Calif., all this small dust surrounding Bryant has been swept under the rug. The Cowboys haven’t forgotten about Bryant’s previous missteps, but they’ve moved on with hopes that no speed bumps remain for one of the league’s elite receivers.