How the Cowboys Hedged Their Bet on Dez Bryant with a 'Brilliant' Contract

[RS12]

The Dez Bryant contract is one of the great illusions in sports history. For all the talk from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that the team didn't put any safeguards in the deal, it is in fact a series of safeguards built around one main objective:

Win a Super Bowl now and then hope Bryant can make it through three years.

On face value, the five-year, $70 million deal that Bryant agreed to last Wednesday looks impressive. The $45 million guarantee is the second-most that any wide receiver has ever been promised, trailing only the $48 million figure Calvin Johnson got in 2012 from Detroit.

Like all NFL contracts, the details tell another story—a story that was exemplified by a trip Jones and his son Stephen took to New York on July 14, the day before the deal was formally agreed to. The Joneses flew to New York to meet with executives of Roc Nation, who deal with Bryant's marketing and off-field opportunities.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...r-bet-on-dez-bryant-with-a-brilliant-contract

 

[NextGenBoys]

Dez is a special football player, but seems like an idiot off the field. I hate to be so impressionable, but reading things like this make me not want to go get his jersey.

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

Dez is a special football player, but seems like an idiot off the field. I hate to be so impressionable, but reading things like this make me not want to go get his jersey.

I wouldn't put so much stock into his behavior off the field worry. I would be concerned with his money management and potential issues that can come with that. He means well and is a good kid IMO. He just needs some more life experience and critical thinking.

 

[xwalker]

The Dez Bryant contract is one of the great illusions in sports history. For all the talk from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that the team didn't put any safeguards in the deal, it is in fact a series of safeguards built around one main objective:

Win a Super Bowl now and then hope Bryant can make it through three years.

On face value, the five-year, $70 million deal that Bryant agreed to last Wednesday looks impressive. The $45 million guarantee is the second-most that any wide receiver has ever been promised, trailing only the $48 million figure Calvin Johnson got in 2012 from Detroit.

Like all NFL contracts, the details tell another story—a story that was exemplified by a trip Jones and his son Stephen took to New York on July 14, the day before the deal was formally agreed to. The Joneses flew to New York to meet with executives of Roc Nation, who deal with Bryant's marketing and off-field opportunities.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...r-bet-on-dez-bryant-with-a-brilliant-contract

They do a terrific job of explaining the unusual contract, especially how they used 2 different methods to defer how much money he actually gets immediately.

I had heard the issue with Jordan and Pizza Hut, but this is the first time I've seen it on the internet.

 

[erod]

The Cowboys know 100 times more about this stuff than what we'll ever know.

Again, the brilliance of the way the Cowboys are operating these days is on full display. They're hedging their bets much more effectively now.

Dez lives a long, long way from the training facility. I'm hoping when the new one is finished in Frisco, he'll buy a house up there. That should help with these time-related issues.

 

[Bigdog]

I think the Joneses did a very smart thing in putting things in his contract. To spread the guarantee money out monthly is a great idea for both parties. Bryant has to behave to get it and the government won't take him with one lump sum like they do when I get a bonus.

 

[viman96]

Seems like a fair deal for both sides. Dez earned his money. Dez also earned a contract with contingencies for Dallas. Show up and get paid. Simple.

 

[Apollo Creed]

If you average out the sum of both contracts (rookie & the new deal) - you've gotten an absolute steal for arguably the best WR in the league.

He got 5 years 11.8 million (8.3 mil guaranteed) in 2010.

Now he's gotten 5 years 70 million (45 guaranteed)

Basically over his decade with the Cowboys he'll have averaged 10 years 81 million (53 mil guaranteed).

You can't beat that, especially with that kind of production.

 

[reddyuta]

Some of the things in the article are troubling,the onus is on Dez to stay out of trouble if he wants a good 3rd contract.

 

[Maxmadden]

The Cowboys know 100 times more about this stuff than what we'll ever know.

Again, the brilliance of the way the Cowboys are operating these days is on full display. They're hedging their bets much more effectively now.

Dez lives a long, long way from the training facility. I'm hoping when the new one is finished in Frisco, he'll buy a house up there. That should help with these time-related issues.

Anyone I have ever known with time management issues, distance was always a non factor.

 

[viman96]

Anyone I have ever known with time management issues, distance was always a non factor.

100% agree. Time management issues has nothing to do with distance. Being on time is about being mindful of what you need to do or where you need to be.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Dez gets his full guarantee if he's on the team this time next year.

Considering Dez hasn't been in any serious trouble since 2012 when he was still a young man I'm not too worried.

 

[Bullflop]

I can readily see where Dez would be prone to lacking the discipline that's required to do dependable things like being on time to meetings and such. He's simply never had the benefit of parents who are inclined to afford him the structured environment that emphasizes such disciplines. Maybe Roc Nation will continue to do what Jerry and the C'boys organization evidently feel they're able to offer. Hopefully, they'll be a helpful influence for Dez.

 

[xwalker]

The Cowboys know 100 times more about this stuff than what we'll ever know.

Again, the brilliance of the way the Cowboys are operating these days is on full display. They're hedging their bets much more effectively now.

Dez lives a long, long way from the training facility. I'm hoping when the new one is finished in Frisco, he'll buy a house up there. That should help with these time-related issues.

The fact that he lives in Desoto is bizarre to me. It's not a preferred area to live in for anybody that makes over 100K per year and it's a long way in traffic from the Cowboys facility. It will be almost impossible for him to stay there once they move to Frisco because the travel time is just to long.

 

[erod]

The fact that he lives in Desoto is bizarre to me. It's not a preferred area to live in for anybody that makes over 100K per year and it's a long way in traffic from the Cowboys facility. It will be almost impossible for him to stay there once they move to Frisco because the travel time is just to long.

There is no route that won't be just a nightmare to get there.

That could be more than two hours on a bad day.

They need to set up a bedroom for him at the facilities.

 

[xwalker]

100% agree. Time management issues has nothing to do with distance. Being on time is about being mindful of what you need to do or where you need to be.

Anyone I have ever known with time management issues, distance was always a non factor.

Yes, there are people with similar or longer commutes that are never late to work; however, distance in traffic still makes it more difficult. Traffic is very difficult to predict. It is very time of day dependent and then there is construction and wrecks that can screw you up even if you started out an hour early.

 

[xwalker]

There is no route that won't be just a nightmare to get there.

That could be more than two hours on a bad day.

They need to set up a bedroom for him at the facilities.

They should have made it part of the contract they he had to live with X number of miles from the facility.

 

[burmafrd]

I think Dez might be one of those that never really grow up. Which is not necessarily a terrible thing in a lot of ways. But to say he is high maintenance is to pretty much understate things. Frankly he needs to find a real strong woman and marry her and have her basically run his life.

 

[Doomsday101]

I think Dez is good guy but if there was a concern it would be as it is for many players and that is people around them who will use them for their own gain. For the players this is why the NFL gives the rookie symposium to warn them of the danger to them.

 

[erod]

I think Dez might be one of those that never really grow up. Which is not necessarily a terrible thing in a lot of ways. But to say he is high maintenance is to pretty much understate things. Frankly he needs to find a real strong woman and marry her and have her basically run his life.

As a player, this can be awesome for him and the team. His youthful exuberance is contagious, and it will keep him from becoming cynical because of the business of it all.

But I worry about him after his career. This may not end well. Unlike some of the jerks that have it coming to them, Dez is essentially a good guy who's just too naive and susceptible to the pitfalls around him.