The speculation continues on the contract issues for Dez Bryant. Much has been made over the wide receiver's expiring deal with the Dallas Cowboys leaving many to wonder what the team's intentions are with their top offensive weapon. On the field Bryant is a star, but off the field he is a headache. It does not help that he wants to be the highest paid wide receiver in the league. Jerry Jones told the media that the Cowboys are simply trying to be smart with the offer in place.
The Cowboys and Bryant attempted several times during the offseason to get a long-term contract in place. However, Bryant continued to reject the offers coming in from Jones and company and now remains unsigned with his deal in its final year. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys have offered Bryant several kinds of deals, the latest being a 10-year, $114 million contract, but the receiver turned it down. Jones intends to keep Bryant in Dallas for his career, but the price has yet to be fully determined.
"What we want to do is have an agreement for the rest of Dez's career," Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. "To me, that says a lot about the concern about off-the-field [issues] if we want him on the Dallas Cowboys for the rest of his career. I'm real impressed with how he's evolved over the last several years, or we wouldn't be in serious contract negotiations with him. So I think all of that is where it really is, and I do look for us to get something done with Dez."
Jones was quick to say that he intends to give Bryant the money, but needs to structure it in a way that keeps the Cowboys competitive in the offseason. The contract assigned to Tony Romo prevented the Cowboys from making several moves this past offseason and Jones does not want to make that mistake again. If he is willing to give Bryant the money the receiver is demanding, does it mean DeMarco Murray is not returning in 2015?
The running back is also approaching free agency and while Murray continues to have a career-high season, the running back market is incredibly weak and the Cowboys might simply let him walk. Last year, most free agent running backs only managed a one-year deal with a team. Murray could want more and Dallas might not be able to afford it.
