Dez Bryant is the first 2010 first round draft pick signed

On one hand this makes perfect sense, but on the other we are dealing with the agent who mishandled a first round draft pick wide out last year. It seems that Dez Bryant is the first 2010 first round draft pick to agree to terms on his rookie deal. It seems Bryant was eager to get into camp after not playing much football last year due to his problems with the NCAA. His agent, Eugene Parker, now holds the distinction of getting the last 2009 first round pick signed to a deal (Michael Crabtree), and the first 2010 first round pick to ink his name to a deal.

So it looks like Bryant is getting a deal for five years worth about 12 million dollars with 8.5 or so of that number guaranteed. In looking at the 24th overall pick in 2008 (Chris Johnson) and the 24th overall pick in 2009 (Peria Jerry), Bryant might have left some money on the table, or turned down some money to get more guaranteed money.

Johnson got 12 million with 7 guaranteed for five years, and Jerry got 12.75 million with 7.55 guaranteed for five years. That means Bryant’s deal should have been around 13.5 million with a little over 8 guaranteed. We have to wonder if the team was willing to get this deal done and used the pending lockout as leverage, or if Bryant was so eager to get a deal done he took a lesser offer. Typically we can chart guys drafted in a certain spot year to year as the cost always goes up under the NFL slotting system.

This might be very bad news for the 23 guys who were drafted ahead of Bryant, as those teams will use this lower number as leverage to get their own first round draft picks signed. If I were the St. Louis Rams my offer to Sam Bradford would be exactly the same six years 78 million with 41.7 guaranteed that the Detroit Lions gave QB Matthew Stafford.

Related Links:

•Dallas Cowboys news and notes
•The Business of the NFL
•MTR Football.com