We’re eight days away from this year’s deadline for franchised players to reach multiyear contract agreements with their current teams, and if there’s one player who seems most likely to work something out with his club, it may be Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant. Although some reports have suggested there hasn’t been much progress made between the two sides, Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan indicated last week that the Cowboys and Bryant were “comfortable” with the state of the negotiations, suggesting there’s a good chance of a deal before the July 15 deadline.
Here’s the latest on the Bryant situation:
- Echoing Fisher’s report, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) continues to hear that a new deal for Bryant isn’t out of the question this week. La Canfora expects things to continue evolving between the wide receiver and the Cowboys star, with a possible conclusion by mid-week. On Sunday, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report noted that owner Jerry Jones and son Stephen Jones will be out of the country until July 10 or 11, which could theoretically hold up the deal.
- Bryant’s situation has become the most fluid of the franchise-player negotiations, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While Florio doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Cowboys locking up their Pro Bowl receiver soon, he notes that – for now at least – there are no tangible signs that a deal is imminent.
- Pointing to Calvin Johnson as an example, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com explains why Bryant may want to cash in on a long-term extension now rather than going year to year. The Lions paid their star receiver $16.2MM annually coming off a season in which he posted nearly 1,700 yards, and while he topped that number in the first year of his new deal, Johnson’s production has declined over the last two seasons. As Seifert observes, some decline is to be expected for receivers at that stage of their careers, so signing a multiyear pact now may represent Bryant’s best opportunity to maximize his earnings.
Zach Links contributed to this post.