MacMahon - Final Exam: Time right for Dez's extension?

[boozeman]

Final Exam: Time right for Dez's extension?

January, 7, 2014



By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


There is no doubt that Dez Bryant will be a major piece of the Dallas Cowboys' foundation for years to come.

It's a matter of when, not if, the 2010 first-round pick gets rewarded with a rich contract extension.


The question is whether or not the timing will be right for the Cowboys to get that deal done this offseason. Given their salary cap situation, it probably won't be.

That's not a major problem. Bryant has one season remaining on his rookie deal, which would pay him a base salary of $1.78 million in 2014.

Would Bryant love to get a big raise coming off of his first Pro Bowl season? Of course, but he's not going to pout if he has to play out his rookie contract. He's more motivated by making the playoffs for the first time than money anyway.

The important thing to recognize is that the Cowboys aren't at any risk whatsoever of losing Bryant in free agency after his rookie deal is done. That simply isn't even a remote possibility.

First of all, when has Jerry Jones ever lost a player that he was determined to keep on the Dallas roster? It just doesn't happen. Bryant, who wants to play his entire career with the Cowboys, isn't going to be the first.

The worst-case scenario is that the Cowboys would have to use the franchise tag on Bryant in 2015 and maybe again the next season. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing from the team's perspective, either.

When Bryant gets a new deal, it's a good bet that he'll be paid top-five receiver money, so it's not like the Cowboys would be overpaying by using the franchise tag on him. He'd just count more against the cap than they hoped because there wouldn't be a signing bonus to spread out over multiple years of the contract.

But it's doubtful it'd even come to that point. Deals tend to get done when the mutual interest is this strong.

It's a safe bet that Bryant will be the Cowboys' second highest-paid player relatively soon. It's just more likely to happen in 2015 than this year.

 

[boozeman]

Final Exam: Patience on a Dez Bryant deal

January, 7, 2014


By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys do not need to be in a rush to sign Dez Bryant to a long-term deal.

It has nothing to do with what Bryant has done on the field. He has grown a ton the last two years. It has nothing to do with a balky back either. It has not caused him to miss a game. It has nothing to do with what he has done off the field either. Bryant’s maturity away from the game has been noted by many.

I’m all for paying Bryant whatever the going rate will be for receivers with his statistics and his age. He has had some hiccups along the way but he falls into coach Jason Garrett’s “right kind of guy” category. He needs to direct that passion in different ways at time, but that’s something that can be coached. You can’t coach “passion” into a guy.

But the Cowboys don’t need to rush a deal with Bryant because time is on their side. This is different than Tony Romo getting to the final year of his deal because, well, quarterbacks are different than wide receivers.

Sorry, it’s just true.

Bryant is set to make a $1.78 million base salary in 2014 with a cap figure of $3.898 million. That’s a relative bargain for a guy with back-to-back 90-catch seasons. Bryant is by far the most dangerous threat the Cowboys have on offense. Defenses know where he will be on every play and sometimes it doesn’t matter.

He can make plays that only a few in the league can make. He has become a better overall receiver because he has done the little things more consistently. He turns 26 in November, so age is not an issue with a new contract.

The Cowboys have cap issues in 2014. They need to do a lot of trimming. A new deal for Bryant would not lower his cap number sufficiently enough to make a difference. The structure of his deal would almost assuredly mean a gigantic cap number in 2015.

The cap is expected to go up in 2016, so the Cowboys should wait as long as they can so they can clean up their cap over the next two years and have a better idea of the room they will have in the future. They have only six players signed through 2015 with big-money deals: Romo, Sean Lee, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick.

Tyron Smith is signed through 2014 but the Cowboys hold an option year on his deal for 2015.

For those fearful of Bryant’s possible departure or the price going up astronomically with a Calvin Johnson-like season in 2014, the Cowboys can always use the franchise tag on him and keep him through 2017 if they use it every year. They used it on back to back years on linebacker Anthony Spencer, paying him close to $20 million in 2012-13.

It is a last-resort type move but it remains a viable option.

Ultimately the Cowboys will reward Bryant, but it should be on their time.

 

[L.T. Fan]

It is just amazing how writers get the same thoughts at the same time. Ever wonder how that happens?