Dez Bryant is staying with the Dallas Cowboys, where he’s wanted to be all along. It was originally reported by the Dallas Morning News that Bryant wanted to remain a Cowboy forever, but it took until an hour before the deadline for the sides to strike a deal.
Fortunately, the deal with Bryant is done, according to ESPN .
“With the deadline less than an hour away, Dez Bryant and the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a five-year, $70 million that will pay him an average $14 million per season, league sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.”
This is huge news for the Dallas Cowboys, as the team decided to let DeMarco Murray hit free agency, where he eventually signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles. Heading into the 2015 season with a disgruntled star in Dez Bryant would have simply been a disaster.
While it’s a huge deal for Bryant and the Cowboys, a beat writer for the Star-Telegram put it best.
Dez Bryant wins. The Cowboys win
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) July 15, 2015
Bryant had threatened to hold out and even miss games if a long-term deal wasn’t done before the deadline of 4 p.m. Wednesday. Even with that said, the team was rumored to believe that Bryant was bluffing on his holdout. Immediately after that report came out, Bryant reiterated the fact that he was completely serious about the potential of missing extended time.
The decision by the Cowboys to lock up Bryant for the long haul was an easy one. While Bryant had some off-field issues early in his career, things have turned for him recently. He was in the news for a rumored video that was described as the “Wal-Mart incident” by Sports Illustrated , but as they point out, the police never actually had any video. The entire situation was nothing more than a rumor.
Since coming into the league in 2010, Bryant has been a force. From Bryant’s second season on, he’s never failed to top nine touchdowns in a single season, while scoring a combined 41 over the last three years. Bryant has averaged just over 1,311 yards per season over that same span, placing him among the best receivers in the business.
In 2014, Bryant ranked No. 1 in the NFL in receiving touchdowns, with 16, while finishing at No. 8 in receiving yards and No. 12 in total receptions.
Bryant’s deal sets him up to earn an average of $14 million per year, where he would have earned $12.8 million under the franchise tender during the 2015 season. Cowboys fans can officially rest easy, as the deal is in the books for one of the biggest stars in the NFL.
[Image via Tom Pennington / Getty Images]
