Dallas Cowboys are dead wrong about Dez Bryant
Before the Dallas Cowboys request a pay cut for Dez Bryant, maybe they should consider these other factors and the other WR with zero touchdown receptions!
I didn’t talk much about the contract situation regarding Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. I have a different opinion regarding NFL players and contracts. Unfortunately, the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys only have themselves to blame for the league’s current state of affairs.
The Cowboys’ general manager, owner and president – Jerry Jones – was once notorious for reward players with mega-gazillion-billion dollar contracts after a player appeared on ESPN highlights. It was a flawed concept then and it’s flawed now. Basing a player’s future salary on their past performances is a major flaw in the matrix.
If a member of Cowboy Nation were to buy a car, a contract would be signed with the agreed price and payment terms. Our new imaginary car would cost $350 a month for 4 years. After the first year, we don’t get to go back to the dealership and complain that the car takes longer than 5.2 seconds to go from 0 – 60 mph. You don’t get to complain that the towing capacity is no longer high enough to use with your new boat. You can’t complain that the blue book, resale value of the car is now worth less than you owe for it. Your contract features the payment terms, consider yourself stuck.
I feel like the Cowboys front office has done everything but post a video like Mo’Nique. Maybe athletes should take the Mo’Nique approach. I can picture Bryant now – “Hello my loves. I’m asking you to boycott any Cowboys game tickets or merchandise except mine. Stephen and Jerry Jones offered Cole Beasley 4 years and $13 million and Terrance Williams 4 years at $17 million. T-Willy didn’t even have a touchdown reception last year! Are they asking him for a pay cut?” (Seriously, Williams didn’t have any receiving touchdowns in 2017).
If the Cowboys front office wants to be a revolutionary NFL force, then propose a flat rate payment system based on years of experience and load every contract with incentives. Is this a perfect idea? Probably not. Some players would hate to lose $1,000 for each holding penalty. Some cornerbacks would love gaining $1,000 for each interception. Running backs get $2,500 for each touchdown and lose $1,000 for each fumble. The various positions dictate the types of incentives in each contract.
In the real world, I know truck drivers that are paid by mile. That means that they have a financial incentive to drive many miles per day as possible. CEO’s and the Board of Directors for many corporations get bonuses based on hitting sales projections or reaching a certain stock price. My point is that an incentive based system isn’t new in the world of business. For some reason, it just seems crazy to apply this system to the world of professional sports.
An incentive based system could franchises from complaining about a receiver’s bad year. Especially when that receiver became the victim of an inaccurate, second year quarterback that ranked 27th in deep pass attempt percentage at 8.8% (according to Pro Football Focus – #Facts) and only averaged 208 passing yards per game.
It’s hard for any receiver to dominate the league when he’s splitting 208 passing yards with two other receivers, a tight end and a running back. Bryant’s contract looked great while our former, accurate, downfield throwing quarterback Tony Romo was averaging nearly 4,000 passing yards a season. Of course, Bryant is too much of a team player to say that.
Next: 4 positions that Dallas must address via the draft
These are all numbers the front office needs to consider before publicly mentioning Bryant should give them a refund. Maybe it’s time for a real general manager in the front office or a better performing quarterback?
#GoCowboys