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The Dallas Cowboys are between a rock and a hard place with star wide receiver Dez Bryant. The team decided to slap the franchise tag on Bryant for the 2015 NFL season, meaning he will get paid $12.823 million for this coming season, which is a tremendous deal for the Cowboys.
Bryant, however, is skipping mandatory minicamp this week as a form of protest, saying he wants a long-term deal for security. If Bryant stands firm on this issue, there’s not much the Cowboys can do except give him the extension because there’s no chance the Cowboys will make the playoffs in 2015 without him.
Besides the Cowboys getting a great value on the best wide receiver in the NFL, the other reason why they don’t want to give Bryant a long-term contract is because the team still has concerns about Bryant off the field. Owner Jerry Jones and his son, Stephen Jones, the Executive Vice President, COO and Director of Player Personnel for the Cowboys, are afraid to enter into a long-term relationship with Bryant for fear that it will blow up in their faces.
Bryant has certainly earned himself a new contract based strictly on his on-the-field production. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 91 catches for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he is coming off of the best season of his career in 2014, where he pulled down 88 receptions for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bryant has every right to be asking for more of a commitment from the franchise. He’s the most important player on the Cowboys’ offense, and he’s not getting treated like he should.
The Cowboys need Bryant to be on the field in Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season. Without him and DeMarco Murray, the offense would have to rely too heavily on Tony Romo to make plays, and that spells disaster as we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully, Bryant and the Joneses can come to some sort of mutually beneficial agreement that will allow both parties to walk away happy and focus on the upcoming season.
If not, the Cowboys will be sitting at home in January.
Jason Fletcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.
