Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant wants the type of contract he feels he deserves, but he will not discuss it with the team any further once the ball is kicked off on Week 1 when the Cowboys visit the San Francisco 49ers.
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A defiant Bryant has said that he is not looking to discuss his contract situation any further once the season begins.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Bryant said Monday via ESPN. "Put it behind me. I love this game. Either way, I feel like I can't be distracted once I'm on the football field."
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Bryant will make $1.78 million in the final season of his rookie deal and has been in discussions along with his agent and the team to work out a lucrative long-term contract extension. The two sides are hopeful that these talks will lead to an extension prior to the ball being snapped on Sept. 7.
"We're in conversation," Bryant said. "I'll say that. We're talking. We are talking. It only gets better from there. Let's see what happens."
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones seemed optimistic that the two sides will get something done.
"He obviously feels in the right circumstances he wants to get something done. We do, too. That can be good," he said.
Bryant has desires to be one of the NFL's highest paid receivers as his 25 touchdowns over the last two seasons rank him tied for the NFL lead.
Bryant, 25, believes he's in the conversation of elite wide receivers and deserves to be paid as such.
"I believe a player should get paid what he deserves," Bryant said. "If I'm top five, I'm top five. If I'm top three, I'm top three. If I'm top two, I'm top two. It is what it is."
Dallas can choose to put the franchise tag on Bryant over the next two offseasons which would pay him more than $12 million per season over the next two campaigns should the Cowboys exercise that option. Bryant has expressed his preference to sign a long-term deal over being franchised.
Once the 2014 campaign kicks off, however, all bets are off.
"Once the season starts, I'm all in," Bryant said. "I've got this team to worry about. ...The work that I put in, the love, the real love, the real passion that I have for this game overtakes everything."
Bryant had 93 receptions last season for 1,233 yards and scored a career-high 13 touchdowns. Now, he wants the Cowboys to show him the money.
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