Let the Dez Bryant sweepstakes begin: Where he could end up after being cut by Dallas
What had been speculated and debated about since the Cowboys’ season ended finally came into reality as Dez Bryant was released Friday.
The #Cowboys have released WR Dez Bryant, source said. It’s done.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2018
It was a short meeting between #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Dez Bryant. After months speculation, Bryant was released and a marquee 29-year old free agent is on the market midway through April with several WR needy teams.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2018
Bryant has always been a favorite of Dallas owner Jerry Jones, but his production had simply not matched his paycheck over the last few seasons.
After posting an average of 1,312 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns from 2012 to 2014, Bryant seemed to lose a step in recent years and averaged just 678 receiving yards and six touchdowns over the last three seasons.
Shortly after the news of the release was made public, Bryant let the fans of his former team know that he wanted to stay in Dallas, but it was out of his hands.
Cowboy nation I need you to know this wasn’t my decision.. I will always love y’all… forever Dallas in my heart
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) April 13, 2018
Bryant was due $12.5 million in salary in 2018 but also carried a cap figure of $16.5 million. The release saves the Cowboys $8 million this year in cap space with the other $8.5 million being dead money.
Bryant’s 2017 cap hit of $16.5 million would have ranked third in the NFL among receivers, trailing only Mike Evans ($18.3 million) and Larry Fitzgerald ($16.9 million).
It is unknown if Jones offered Bryant a pay cut or a restructuring of his deal before cutting ties. But even if that did happen, chances are the end result would have been the same as Bryant had already gone on record and said he wouldn’t take a pay cut.
The quote that’s going to wind up in all the headlines is Dez’s response when asked if he’d be willing to take a pay cut in 2018: pic.twitter.com/DPD13w4NKI
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) December 27, 2017
Many will point out that Bryant’s decrease in production in recent years was due to Tony Romo’s injury in 2015 and then the offense shifting to become more run-oriented in 2016 and 2017 with Ezekiel Elliott.
But as Peter King said in Sports Illustrated’s MMQB, many Cowboys coaches told him that Bryant’s physical gifts started slipping way back in 2015. They also told King that Bryant failed to reinvent himself as a route-runner, which is what many receivers do as they approach age 30 (he’s 29).
Regardless, Bryant is now on the open market, and there should still be lots of interest among the other 31 NFL teams.
One name that jumps out is the New England Patriots, who have a big hole at receiver after trading away Brandin Cooks and having Danny Amendola depart in free agency. Randy Moss joined the Patriots when he was 29 years old and many believed he was done as a player, and Bryant could do the same and resurrect his career.
Another option is the San Francisco 49ers, who are seen as a team on the rise. Bryant could go from one storied franchise to another, and there might be no better playcaller in the league than Kyle Shanahan, who could surely put Bryant in the best spots to be successful.
The Baltimore Ravens are still in search of a true No. 1 receiver and could try to sign Bryant if they can work out the cap issues.
If Bryant is out for revenge, then he might want to stay in the division and face the Cowboys twice a year. Though unconfirmed, that is reportedly what he said to some Cowboys staffers on his way out of the building.
Dez Bryant reportedly walked out the building saying I'll see you guys twice this year.
Here we go. 😳🍿
— LeadingNFL (@LeadingNFL) April 13, 2018
If that truly is the case, then the Redskins would make the best landing spot. They lack a true No. 1 receiver, and despite Bryant’s recent struggles, he still had more receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than any Redskin receiver had last year.
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