Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant played hardball with his team by skipping offseason activities while he waited for his dream deal to come through. He also threatened to sit out of the team’s season opener and possibly more games if a new deal was not in place.
Bryant ended up getting his way. He and the Cowboys agreed to a lucrative five-year, $70 million deal which includes a whopping $45 million guaranteed, just hours before the franchise tag deadline was approaching.
Now that Bryant has secured a large sum of guaranteed cash, we must wonder if he will remain dedicated to perform at the high level he did while he played under his rookie contract.
Bryant addressed this question for us and here is what he had to say:
“It’s no pressure, man,” Bryant said, via ESPN.com. “It’s no pressure. That deal don’t make me. It don’t make me. I play this game because I love this game. I don’t give a damn about none of that. It’s not going to change the way I play. It’s not going to change the way I act. I’m here. Like, thank you, I can go buy me a home and now I’m able to take care of my family. Yeah, I love that, but as far as me performing on the field, like, I take full pride in that.”
There is no doubt that Bryant is passionate and can get caught up in the moment at times during the game.
https://vine.co/v/OMhgg35eZLr
That is why the brass in Dallas never really believed he would skip games even though Bryant claimed that he would have. Fortunately for both parties, they won’t ever have find out the real answer to that one.
In the history of the franchise, the Cowboys have never had a receiver who posted three consecutive seasons with at least 88 catches, 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. If Bryant sticks true to his word and his health prevails, then there is no reason we won’t see at least another five years of high-level production come from the young receiver.
Let’s just hope for the team’s sake Bryant can steer clear from any off-field behavioral issues that seems to pop up every now and then.
Photo: USA Today Sports