IRVING, Texas -- Each day, it becomes more evident that receiver Dez Bryant isn't getting the long-term deal he craves from the Dallas Cowboys this offseason -- and it's not just about money.

Even if the Cowboys agree on the financial terms with Bryant, talk to enough folks at Valley Ranch and it's clear Bryant isn't going to get a deal unless he agrees to some type of off-the-field structure designed to limit his risk.

Bryant doesn't want to hear that. Too bad.

That's the reality of his situation.

"We got the opportunity to get Dez because of his foibles -- we thought he was in the top five of the whole draft talent-wise," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said recently. "We felt good about our support staff and our willingness to contribute to Dez improving in areas that he had challenges in college, and we've had some success with that."

There's no doubting Dez Bryant's talent on the football field, but the Cowboys want to ensure nothing goes wrong off the field either. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

They've done it by willingly spending hundreds of hours over the past few years helping Bryant organize his personal life -- Jones even co-signed Bryant's paychecks for a while.

Any conversation about off-the-field issues tends to anger Bryant because all he wants to discuss is his on-field performance, which is beyond reproach.

There's no debate he's among the top three receivers in the NFL following his third consecutive terrific season, and he deserves a long-term deal with about $38 million in guaranteed money.

He's sensational in the locker room too. Bryant hangs just as easily with the Cowboys' other stars as he does practice squad players or players on other units. No other player on the roster blends so easily.

Still, when it comes to Bryant, the Cowboys want to protect themselves, especially as commissioner Roger Goodell ushers in an era of punitive punishments for any incident that brings negative attention to the NFL brand.

That doesn't mean the Cowboys expect Bryant to have any issues, but folks buy car insurance and homeowner's policies just in case a disaster occurs, and Dallas wants to cover itself in a similar manner.

The Cowboys saw how the Minnesota Vikings paid Adrian Peterson $11.7 million last season and the Carolina Panthers paid Greg Hardy $13.1 million, although each played just one game for their respective teams. Peterson and Hardy spent the final 15 games of last season on the commissioner's exempt list.

That's why when the Cowboys signed Hardy, they structured his contract the way they did, essentially giving him weekly roster bonuses as opposed to a huge signing bonus or salary.

The Cowboys don't expect to have anything that stringent in Bryant's new contract, but they want an off-the-field structure in place that protects the team and, according to front-office folks at Valley Ranch, protects Bryant from himself.

Until that happens, the Cowboys are content using the franchise tag on Bryant this season, and next season.

Bryant hasn't had any off-the-field issues since the family violence charges stemming from an incident with his mother in the summer of 2012. And the Cowboys laud his increased maturity publicly and privately.

The Cowboys will tell you privately the Dez Rules had a lot to do with Bryant's staying out of trouble because they created parameters of behavior.

The Dez Rules were a set of 11 rules that went into effect formally Aug. 23, 2012. They were designed, primarily, to make certain Bryant completed all the requirements from the district attorney's office to ensure his family-violence misdemeanor would be dismissed instead of upgraded to a felony.

The rules, formalized in a multi-page document Bryant signed, were recommendations of behavior ranging from attending two counseling sessions a week for a year to no negativity on social media.

The Cowboys needed to know Bryant's location at all times, and the receiver had a three-man security detail assigned to him that worked in 16-hour shifts for a year.

Bryant no longer needs to have those types of restrictions in his private life. He's a 26-year-old father of three, which is why virtually all the rules have been relaxed or eliminated over the past three years, according to team sources.

But Bryant is the same guy who went on a loud profanity-laced tirade through the club's Valley Ranch training facility last December upon discovering a reporter was working on a story about his life off the field.

Those rare but explosive moments make the Cowboys queasy because they can occur quickly, like a summer squall.

The Cowboys would prefer David Wells to be involved in Bryant's off-the-field structure because of their long-term familiarity with him. Wells was Bryant's long-term adviser who was hired to help keep Bryant on the straight and narrow off the field.

Roc Nation, the agency now representing Bryant, wants to end the formal business relationship between the receiver and Wells, even sending a formal cease-and-desist letter.

For their part, the Cowboys don't care if Bryant or Roc Nation hires someone else to create the off-the-field structure the Cowboys want in place. They just want a person in Dallas to handle anything Bryant needs at a moment's notice, teams sources and a source close to Bryant said.

"I've spent more personal time," said Jones, "and Marilyn [Love, Jones' secretary] has spent more personal time with his affairs -- not complaining at all -- but there's a good chance that might not have happened for him at other places.

"Dez has, and he'll be the first to tell you, that a big chunk of why he has evolved is because he's had great support, great encouragement and great understanding. I think he's benefited, and that's rewarding, and it's going to reward our fans and reward Dez."

It's just going to take time to work out all the complicated details.