Report: Cowboys WR Dez Bryant considering skipping season opener
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant wants a new contract, and he reportedly may be willing to go to great lengths to force the team’s hand and get a long-term deal done.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who is citing “sources familiar with the receiver’s negotiation strategy,” Bryant is considering not reporting for the team’s season opener against the New York Giants if an agreement is not reached by July 15.
From Mortensen:
Bryant has not signed his franchise tag, which would guarantee him $12,823,000 for the 2015 season. The deadline for franchise-tagged players to negotiate and sign a long-term contract is July 15 or else Bryant’s only option is to play under the $12.823 million or not play at all.
Tom Condon, Bryant’s new agent as of November 2014, had no comment on the possibility.
“Our goal is still to get something done on a long-term basis by the deadline,” Condon told Mortensen.
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Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said recently that Bryant “will be a Cowboy this year” and the team “will make a push” to lock him up long-term “at some point.”
“If he ends up playing this year under the tag we will go right back to work again next year,” Jones said. “Now would we like to get a long term deal on him? Of course we would. We’ll work hard to do that and I’m sure we’ll make a push at some point and see if we can make it work. If not, hopefully he will understand it’s difficult to make a deal at this point and he’ll come in and get ready to play.”
Bryant, who is entering his sixth season in the NFL, appeared at one of the Cowboys’ voluntary OTAs this month. And because he is not under contract by the team at this point, he is not required to show up for next week’s mandatory mini-camps either.
If a deal can’t get done, one of Mortensen’s sources mentioned the idea of “pulling an Emmitt Smith.” Smith, the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame running back, sat out the first two games of the 1993 season and was given a new deal after the team started 0-2 (the team went on to win the Super Bowl).
Bryant, who caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, is obviously a player the Cowboys want around for a long time.
Would Bryant pass up $12 million to make a point? It seems like posturing at this point.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
