Dez Bryant is threatening to skip training camp and regular-season games if he and Dallas can't hammer out a new long-term deal ahead of Wednesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. The Cowboys, though, aren't overly concerned about the Pro Bowl wideout's attempts at brinksmanship.
"You mentioned Dez Bryant's threat of missing camp and potentially missing games," NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport said during Tuesday's edition of NFL Total Access, citing a team source. "My understanding is the Cowboys simply do not buy it. They don't think he can stay away from football. They know he has shown up to OTAs and minicamp, plus even when he has not been under contract, Dez Bryant has been hanging around the facility. They simply do not believe that he will miss football games."
Still, the team continues to negotiate with Bryant ahead of the deadline, talking to the receiver's camp about a deal that would earn him more per season than the $12.82 million he would make in 2015 if he signs his franchise tag.
"My understanding is that there is a long way to go for the Cowboys and Dez Bryant to actually strike a long-term deal," Rapoport said, "Now, these are active negotiations and both sides are going to keep at it tonight and into tomorrow before the 4 p.m. deadline. As far as what the Cowboys have put on the table, from what I'm being told, the average per year is more than the $12.8 million franchise tag, which means the Cowboys have come up significantly from their offer last August, which averaged $10 million over the first six years."
Rapoport noted that "there is a lot of ground to make up" as Bryant still seeks a pact in the neighborhood of Calvin Johnson's annual $16 million price tag.
As Gregg Rosenthal pointed out, no unsigned franchise player has skipped regular-season tilts since since Hall of Fame offensive tackle Walter Jones missed a pair of starts to open the 2002 NFL season.
We'll find out Wednesday if Dallas and their star offensive weapon can bury this summertime squabble before the deadline drops.
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