The Dallas Cowboys and Dez Bryant continue to narrow the gap on a long-term contract extension for the star receiver, but the window to get a deal done sooner than later is closing.
Bryant says he does not want to negotiate a long-term contract extension once the regular season begins September 7 against San Francisco.
“I’m focused on football,” Bryant said Tuesday, August 25th. “I made that clear [Monday] night.”
Bryant said the same thing on the evening of Monday, August 25th while making an appearance at AT&T Stadium after the club announced the franchise’s partnership with Swiss watchmaker Hublot.
The Cowboys and Bryant’s agent, Eugene Parker, have been in contract negotiations for months now. They are trying to meet in the middle on what Bryant’s true value is, whether he’s a top 10 receiver in the NFL, top five, or perhaps even in the top three.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have had a long working relationship with Eugene Parker ever since the Deion Sanders years.
Regardless, and really this is all that matters, Bryant is not going anywhere. He will not be playing for another team. The Cowboys can use their franchise tag on Bryant for the next three seasons, giving him a one-year extension each time. That gives the Cowboys some leverage in negotiations.
“We think Dez has made a lot of progress, but it’s something that is going to be very impactful on our team, so it’s just not necessary to move at any faster rate than we’re moving,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said recently about Bryant’s contract negotiations on KRLD-FM.
Last week Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about the progress of Bryant’s contract negotiations.
“It’s just a work in progress,” Stephen Jones said. “You know how I am on those. When they’re done, they’re done. Always optimistic.”