How a Dez Bryant Deal Gets Done With the Cowboys

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As the hours and minutes tick on the Dez Bryant deadline, we look at what it will take to sign Dez Bryant long-term, and avoid the ugly situation that accompanies the Franchise Tag.


Today, Wednesday July 15th at 3pm is the deadline for franchise tagged players to sign long-term contracts with their respective franchises. If no deal is struck and submitted, then the negotiations must stop and may not be resumed again until after the 2015 season.

The franchise tag, and its accompanying rules, were clearly negotiated by ownership but it was also accepted by players. That doesn’t mean players have to like it though. Dez Bryant certainly doesn’t, as he tweeted out his now-famous tweet on Monday, saying he refused to participate unless a deal was made.

So what will it take for a deal to be made?

As I alluded to yesterday, if negotiations go quickly and painlessly, then someone got screwed. That’s because negotiations aren’t supposed to be quick and painless. Big market-setting deals are all about compromise. Both sides want the homerun and the bragging rights almost as much as neither side wants to lose.

Everyone in this situation is gun-shy and fears being seen as the loser. To make matters worse, the sides are extremely far apart. The fight over guaranteed money is the sticking point and the Cowboys are rumored to be over $10M off of what Dez Bryant is demanding.

In order for a deal to be made, both sides have to walk away dissatisfied. It sounds strange but that’s what compromise demands. With such a powerhouse of egos and strong-wills on both sides of the table, finding the solution will likely require the biggest of those to step up and take charge.

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At the end of the day, for this deal to get done, Jerry Jones and Dez Bryant need to be the men in front. Dez needs to tell his representation he will settle for less than they want to agree to. Jerry needs to step in and tell Stephen the Cowboys need to guarantee more than Stephen wants to include. Those two men are the only way an actual negotiation takes place.

For the Cowboys, Stephen may be calling the shots, but Jerry still has final say and heavy influence. Stephen is going to play it smart. Jerry will play it with passion. If the Cowboys seriously want to make a deal, passion will have to supplant a little bit of smarts.

For Dez Bryant’s side of things, he needs to step in front of his representation (Roc Nation) if he seeks a compromise as well. As I said yesterday:

"“Often overlooked in this high-pressure faceoff is the representation of Dez Bryant, Roc Nation. Dez, Thomas, AJ Green, and Julio Jones are all currently looking for new deals. Their respective agents are petrified to set a low bar, and are more inclined to follow someone else’s framework than set the parameter’s themselves, and subsequently face potential scrutiny that follows.”"

If Dez sees that the Cowboys are willing to be equally discontent, he needs to step in front of his agents because they may too afraid to make anything but the perfect deal. Jerry needs to convince Stephen to alter course as well. There is a wide delta that needs to be bridged and Jerry and Dez are the only ones who can bridge it.

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