Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Debating Dez Bryant's guaranteed money

IRVING, Texas -- ESPN Dallas columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor came out fairly strong in saying the Dallas Cowboys need to stop lowballing wide receiver Dez Bryant in contract talks.

Taylor wrote: "Jerry isn't offering Bryant a lucrative long-term deal for one reason: He doesn't have to do it."

There is probably a lot of truth to that. In the past Jones has been criticized for overpaying players when he did not have to do it.

Taylor offered up what he thinks Bryant should get and what has happened with the negotiations between the Cowboys and Bryant:

Market value in the world of elite receivers is a five- or six-year deal that averages about $14 million and guarantees Bryant $35 million to $40 million.

Don't believe any poppycock about the Cowboys being close to a deal with Bryant during the season before he changed agents, because that's organizational propaganda at its best.

The Cowboys never offered him any deal with more than $30 million in guaranteed money, which means Bryant was never interested in that deal. The Cowboys offered him a deal with about $20 million in guaranteed money.

How insulting.

Jones said last week from the NFL scouting combine the Cowboys thought they were close to a deal with Bryant. Perhaps one person’s definition of “close” and another person’s definition are different, but it's likely why Bryant switched agents last fall.

The Cowboys have not had any detailed talks with Bryant’s new agents, Kim Miale of Roc Nation and CAA’s Tom Condon. They didn’t talk at the combine either. Everything is pointing toward the franchise tag at this point.

But if I have to contest one thing from Taylor's column it is the amount of guaranteed money the Cowboys are willing to commit.

Since the talk of using the franchise tag on Bryant has been around since last summer when a long-term deal did not get done, the fact that the team only would be willing to guarantee “about $20 million,” doesn’t make much sense to me.

The franchise tag figures to come in at close to $13 million for receivers in 2015. For the sake of math, let’s use that figure. That $13 million would be fully guaranteed once Bryant signs the tender. The Cowboys can also use the tag in 2016, which would be an increase of 120 percent, which means they would be willing to guarantee Bryant another $15.6 million.

At the very least Bryant is looking at $28.6 million in guaranteed money over the next two years based off the franchise tag.

Just logically it would follow that Bryant would not accept a deal that did not include at least that much guaranteed. Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has the most guaranteed money among receivers at $48.7 million. Before his recent deal, Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald was second at $27 million along with Miami Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace.

From there it goes to Vincent Jackson ($26 million), Andre Johnson ($20.5 million) and Dwayne Bowe ($20 million).

So based off the franchise tag over the next two years, Bryant’s guarantee would already be second-most to Johnson.

The debate is how close Bryant gets to Johnson in the guaranteed money. Does he want just a little more? Will he take a little less? How high are the Cowboys willing to go?

All great questions that cannot be answered at this time.

But if there was a holdup in the discussions during the season, that was likely it.

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