The Facts: Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones has been the bad guy before and he will be the bad guy again, if necessary. And now Jones is setting himself up to be the heavy in the looming decision on Bryant. Or the "Dez situation" as he called it on the Hangin' with the Boys podcast on the team's website Monday -- given the veteran receiver's advancing age, declining production, his distracting antics and his $12.5 million base salary for next season.
Diehards Line:Bryant led the team in receptions (69), receiving yards (838) and touchdown catches (six) this season, but he also was among the league leaders with 12 dropped passes. He looks nothing like the player he was from 2012-2014 when was considered one of the top five receivers in the game, prompting the Cowboys to give him a five-year, $70 million contract extension before the 2015 season. Injuries have played a huge role in his decline in production, but so has the change from Tony Romo to Dak Prescott. It all has presented the Cowboys with some questions to answer as they consider what to do about Bryant and his contract going forward. Asking him to take a pay cut or be cut is a definite possibility. After noting Bryant's sideline antics can be a "distraction," Jones added: ”Of course, we pay Dez a lot of money, and he knows that. He's as aware of it as anybody. ... He knows when you get paid that kind of money there's high expectations in terms of the productivity. ... Those are all things we have to look at as a team, as an organization when we start to put our team together for next year. ..." It's certainly a situation worth watching.