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Report: Dez Bryant gets offer over $13 million from Dallas Cowboys

By Kevin Parvizi

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Out of the two elite wide receivers gunning for long-term deals ahead of today’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchised players, Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant has the much better shot at signing a big contract than Denver Broncos star Demaryius Thomas. With Thomas and the Broncos possibly apart by as much as $3 million without any conversation between player and agent today, it seems like Thomas is destined to play out the 2015 season on a $12.8 million franchise tag.

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Meanwhile, Bryant’s smart leverage ploy over Twitter and holdout threat seems to be working pretty well, as the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Rand Getlin report that the Cowboys have pushed their offer to Bryant over $13 million. Per the dynamic reporting duo, Bryant is “more optimistic than ever”, which obviously and unsurprisingly means that he’s looking for even more money.

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Calvin Johnson‘s $16.2 million deal that was somewhat induced by a lack of a rookie wage scale has been seen by Thomas and Bryant as the benchmark for wide receiver contracts. Both players are looking to make around $16 million per year on their upcoming contracts, though Bryant should be more worried about his guaranteed money potentially being voided in the future, which is something the Cowboys love to do, as per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley are solid receivers in this league, but Bryant is the Cowboys second-most important player behind Tony Romo and has put up over 85 catches, 1,200 receiving yards, and ten touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. That’s not easy to find, and Bryant, who will be 27 when free agency opens up in 2016, would definitely command more than $13 million on the open market, even if he has to compete with Thomas for attention (especially since he’s the better of the two No. 1 wideouts).

Dez Bryant should undoubtedly be pleased with the fact that the Cowboys have given in some by handing him an offer worth more than $13 million, and the organization has certainly responded to Bryant’s threats, even if he’s most likely bluffing. The Cowboys can’t take any risks here with Romo getting older and DeMarco Murray already out of the picture, because their lofty goals over the next few seasons (their QB’s “window”) ride on the few impact players (like Romo and Bryant) on their roster.

I’m sure the Cowboys will up their offer before the 4 p.m. ET deadline is through, but it’s important to understand that the $13 million+ sum doesn’t mean much at this point (not even including the fact that it’s still too low). It is indeed a reason for optimism for Bryant and Cowboys fans, but we don’t know how the guaranteed money side of things is going, and that’s just as important for both sides.

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