Dez Bryant is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2014 season, but the Dallas Cowboys are hesitant to give the wide receiver the huge contract that his play would usually dictate. Instead, the team has "a genuine concern" stemming from multiple off-field incidents, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Cowboys have ‘genuine concern’ with Dez Bryant, according to report
Dez Bryant’s off-the-field issues have the Dallas Cowboys scared to give the wide receiver a big contract.
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Rapoport says the Cowboys “do not trust” Bryant off the field and fear that a large contact would blow up in the face of the team. The Cowboys have instead made contract offers to Bryant that don’t feature much guaranteed money and protect the team if things ever go south.
The best offer from the Cowboys was reportedly a 10-year deal worth $114 million that featured just $20 million guaranteed and a $5 million signing bonus. Also, considering the high amount of years, the deal would pay Bryant an average of just $11.4 million per year and give the Cowboys a decent amount of freedom to cut ties with the receiver at any time.
For comparison, Calvin Johnson received an eight-year, $150.5 million deal from the Detroit Lions in 2012 with $60 million guaranteed and a $16 million signing bonus. That's a lot of money for the Cowboys to pin on the hopes that Bryant's struggles off the field don't continue. Rapoport detailed those struggles on Sunday morning on NFL Network:
”I went to the DeSoto (Texas) City Police Department. I found six instances of police coming to Dez Bryant’s house -- that’s where he lives, in DeSoto. Among the incidents -- and none of these were convictions -- there was a harassment incident, there was a robbery at his house, the fire department had to come and unlock his car that had a sleeping baby inside. All of these things give the Cowboys cause for concern. He’s had anger management; they have a manager with him at all times. But they are very nervous, and this is one reason they have not wanted to give him the guaranteed money that most elite receivers get.”
For all the struggles off the field, Bryant’s play has been nothing short of elite on the field. He racked up 2,615 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns in the last two seasons combined and is on pace for a third straight 1,000-yard season in 2014. Through nine games, Bryant has 635 yards and six touchdown receptions.
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