Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant Becoming Offensive

Yes, everyone waits and wonders when wide receiver Dez Bryant will get his money from the Dallas Cowboys.

What nobody really cares about, however, is how much money that actually is.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones stated not long ago that, one way or the other, the five-year veteran pass catcher from Oklahoma State University would not be going anywhere in 2015. Whether it be a long-term contract or a bloated one-year franchise tag designation, Bryant will be wearing the blue star in 2015.

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The Cowboys, just like NFL football in general, is a television show that millions of people watch all over the country. In this case, that show is customized for specific markets as it follows different teams based on location. The players that are involved are merely the actors that one might see in a soap-opera or prime-time reality show.

It’s looking more and more like Jones will not be able to sign to Bryant to an agreement that the Pro Bowl pass catcher is happy with. This includes either a new, lengthy contract or the franchise tag.

Tough tacos.

Bryant is expressing his displeasure that he may only receive the average salary of the top five wide receivers in the NFL as a potential franchise player in 2015. Some suggest that he won’t have the security of a contract like that of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals.

Those two players just mentioned signed their current seven-year contracts in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Fitzgerald’s deal, according to Spotrac.com, was valued at $113 million with an average annual salary of just over $16 million per year.

Johnson’s deal only surpassed Fitzgerald’s pact by peanuts, comparatively speaking, and his average annual salary is just about the same.

Is Bryant really expecting a deal that surpasses these two players?

This seems to be the case, which is why the franchise tag is probably eminent for Bryant.

Sorry, but I have little, if any, sympathy for a professional athlete that’s in line to be paid close to $13 million for a year of work. How many combined families in the United States will never even come close to earning a total like this?

During a time of economic heartbreak, like we have right now around the world, it reaches the point of offensive for a football player who’s already earned just under $12 million under his original five-year rookie contract to complain about a legal agreement between NFL owners and the player’s union.

That’s right, Bryant is in line to make more in one season than he has during his entire career.

No, it’s not a signing bonus of some $30-40 million dollars, but again, tough tacos.

What athletes in the NFL sometimes don’t realize is that the salary cap only makes so much money available to spend on football players. If Bryant wanted that lucrative extension, perhaps he should have crossed the 1,000 yard receiving barrier before his third year in the league. Maybe he should have pulled those pants up before being escorted from NorthPark Center shopping mall by security officers back in 2011.

Frankly, even if Bryant had the appearance or reputation of being more – well, more like Drew Pearson, I still wouldn’t be excited about breaking the bank to pay a player that might only touch the ball only a few times per game.

History shows that overpaying outstanding receivers doesn’t translate to success at a championship level.

How many playoff victories did Dallas earn while employing Terrell Owens from 2006-08?

Answer: Zero.

So far, the Cowboys have a single playoff win with Bryant as the focal point of their passing attack – this is after five years, mind you.

For as good as Bryant is, and he is really, really good, wide receivers are just too easy to come by.

How is Detroit doing with Johnson?

Well, the Lions have made the playoffs just twice since the 2007 regular season, the same year that “Megatron” entered the league as the second-overall pick in the NFL Draft. In fact, do you realize that Detroit went just 2-30 from 2008-09?

No, this is not all Johnson’s fault, but it’s a stark reminder that pass catchers only mean so much to a football team.

In Bryant’s case, it’s important that he ask himself why exactly he wants to remain with the Cowboys. If this is indeed where he wants to play, then he must ask himself what separates him from predecessors like Pearson and Michael Irvin. One of those guys is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the other probably should be.

Pearson and Irvin had complete teams surrounding them during their best years. Specifically, they had championship caliber defenses – Bryant has obviously not had this during his time in the NFL.

Based on last season’s results, Bryant should obviously be aware of his impact on the team. He also needs to consider what Dallas does not have at this time, which is a frightening defense that is quite likely not far away.

The Cowboys need pass rushers, defensive lineman and possibly some additional parts at linebacker and in the secondary.

These commodities also cost money, period.

It would be nice to see Bryant willing to steal a page from the playbook written by Dallas Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki. Granted, the NBA superstar has had many more years of making huge money in his chosen profession, but his team right now is poised to contend in the Western Conference primarily because he chose to take less money so owner Mark Cuban could bring in more talent.

That’s called wanting to win badly with the team that you started with.

How much money should Bryant pass on isn’t my decision and I’ll never fault anybody for wanting what their value truly is.

However, Bryant is not worth over $100 million dollars to any professional football team, period. This is especially true when you consider that his presence hasn’t exactly led to a bunch of jewelry and trophies exploding upon the halls of Valley Ranch, right?

Yes, Bryant is a stud and possibly the best at his position. But those wanting to see him re-signed need to consider what’s more important, Bryant’s already well stocked bank account or the Cowboys playing in Super Bowl 50 next year in northern California?

The former is going to happen one way or the other, but the latter requires some degree of sacrifice from the “Bryant Camp” in order to make the latter a reasonable possibility.

Next: Is Shaq Thompson A New Darren Woodson?

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