For the first time since Deion left, I’m proud of a Dallas Cowboy. It isn’t for anything he did on the field. It is for his possible refusal to play. Dez Bryant tweeted today that he is going to sit out the season unless properly compensated with a new contract. This news was met with mixed emotions by fans. Some expect him to grin and bear it, accepting the nearly 765K he would ear each game. Now as someone who doesn’t make nearly that much, I can understand the fans who say, “take that money you greedy SOB.” They have a point, albeit a limited one. Because of the length of a players career and the extreme wear and tear on the body and spirit, a player who doesn’t go for the amount of money he is worth is doing himself a disservice and a disservice to everyone who plays and even watches the game.
Dez is worth the money. I don’t like him but I respect him and what he’s done since entering the league. He is a bonafide #1 receiver that, for the most part, cannot be defended one on one. He stretches the field and creates a matchup nightmare for most teams in the league. He ought to be getting the most he can out of a contract. Presently he is being offered a Franchise Tag, which is a one year deal that allows teams to pay out a good deal of money for the year with no promise of lasting cash in the future. There’s the rub right there: No guaranteed future money.
Ever since Jason Pierre-Paul blew apart his hand in an off-season fireworks accident, the Franchise tag has returned to the spotlight. The tag is a money saving option for teams and a really bad idea for players, who have short term careers. Any player is one injury away from done. Moreover, most players don’t play for 15 years and make the kind of money that you can retire off of, as one is supposed to do after completing an entire career in anything. What this leads to is players getting taxed massively on the one year deal and walking away not being able to support the lifestyle and security necessary for someone in the public spotlight. I’m sorry but you’re not likely to see Odell Beckham in a Brooklyn Walmart. He’d be mauled.
So, go ahead, Dez. Get that money. You earned it. Heck, you need it.