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Much of the talk surrounding the Dallas Cowboys this offseason has centered around star wide receiver Dez Bryant’s long-term future with the organization. This has remained a situation hovering around with the team aiming to get Bryant to agree to a pay cut.
However, this has been met by plenty of public hesitance to go that route from the 29-year-old in the final two years of his five-year, $70 million where he is scheduled to make $33 million over that span. According to the Todd Archer of ESPN, the Cowboys’ recent actions in free agency have further indicated that Bryant’s future is no longer on stable ground.
Had the Cowboys been able to land Watkins, Bryant would no longer have been a Cowboy. With Thompson and Hurns, Bryant’s future looks dicey at best.
The Cowboys have said they need to address Bryant’s contract in some manner but have yet to have discussions about a pay cut. Bryant is set to make $12.5 million in 2017 and count $16.5 million against the cap. If the Cowboys cut Bryant — the franchise leader in touchdown catches — they could save $8.5 million or $12.5 million, depending on the designation.
Had the Cowboys been able to land Watkins, Bryant would no longer have been a Cowboy. With Thompson and Hurns, Bryant’s future looks dicey at best.
These two moves to bring aboard both Deonte Thompson on a one-year, $2.5 million deal and Allen Hurns on a two-year, $12 million contract could be seen as acquisitions to strengthen their wide receiver core. At the same time, it could be seen as the team bracing for the departure of Bryant if he is unwilling to take a pay cut.
It is clear that Dallas has no interest in moving on from the former Pro Bowl wideout, but his level of performance on the field has dropped over the last three seasons as he has failed to crack 1,000 receiving yards in each campaign. This has made his cap hit of $16.5 million next season a harder pill to swallow given that Bryant isn’t performing like the top wide receiver that he is being paid like in 2018.
There is still plenty of time for both sides to settle things in terms of the last two years of his massive contract, but at this point, things look to be headed toward an end of the star wideout’s time in Dallas.