David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Cowboys have opened contract negotiations with rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant was the No. 24 overall pick in April’s draft. So far, no players selected in the top 32 have signed, and just one of the top 64 is under contract.
The Cowboys typically let players selected around their first-round pick sign before getting serious about making contract offers. This year, however, Dallas is the first team in the league to report to training camp.
“We won’t have as much to go on,” stated Cowboys executive V.P. Stephen Jones after the conclusion of June minicamps. “We usually have a lot more contracts to go off of. That will make it more challenging.”
The Cowboys do have 2009 No. 24 overall pick Peria Jerry’s five-year, $10.35 million contract to use as a jump-off point, though Bryant’s agent, Eugene Parker, may angle for something more along the lines of 2009 No. 22 overall pick Percy Harvin’s five-year, $12.05 million deal. Like Bryant, Harvin is a wide receiver.
