Step away from the gun and hear me out when it comes to Dez Bryant.

The Dallas Cowboys have a decision to make on their All-Pro wide receiver and it won't be an easy one. He’s already proclaimed he isn't interested in taking a pay cut after another down season that saw him lead the NFL in dropped passes with 11 total, more succinctly saying “hell nah” when asked the question. It’s not something the team was mulling up to this point anyway, but more so a question posed by those outside the organization who feel his pay is no longer commensurate with his production.

While that's not entirely fair considering the myriad of other factors also bringing out his downturn -- of which will be discussed here shortly -- it's a fair assessment at face value.

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A pay cut on Bryant isn’t the only option though, albeit the more popular one for the more casual football fan.

It's simple, yes? Reduce the pay on anyone who doesn't perform to the perceived standard. Such a simple one-size-fits-all solution in a business that is anything but, particularly when there are other options to be considered on Bryant going forward.

And no, they're not going to release him in 2018.

So what to do? Technically, they could leave things exactly the way they are contractually and hope the changes they're working to make to the coaching staff and offensive scheme see a resurgence in his production this coming season. That inaction does nothing to resolve the looming issue with the team's salary cap, which will reportedly give them upwards of $20M when the increase becomes official at the opening of the new league year this Spring.

Bryant hits the salary cap for a massive $16.5M in 2018 and the Cowboys have some whales to reel in — namely Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence. They’ll also make an initial run to retain linebacker Anthony Hitchens and should he accept their projected proposal, the money has to come from somewhere. In other words, one megadeal from either Martin or Lawrence disintegrates the $20M in projected space, so leaving Bryant's deal as-is could put them in a squeeze financially.

In reality, the Cowboys could restructure Bryant's deal and keep his income the same while moving money away from his base salary into a signing bonus. They most recently made those moves on offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick following the 2016 season, which freed up nearly $17.3M of space on the salary cap. This option would be a bit more challenging on Bryant though, considering he's only signed for two more seasons whereas Smith and Frederick are both already locked in through the early 2020's.

It's viable but not attractive.

This brings us to a very solid option no one is discussing that would make both Bryant and the Cowboys happy for the foreseeable future while resolving the aforementioned cap issue. It has to be said it'd do absolutely nothing on the public relations side of the coin though, considering most who are calling for a pay cut won't take kindly to considering what I'm about to bring to the table -- even if it does taste like homemade pie fresh out of grandma's oven.

Sign him to an extension.

*pause for dishes and lamps to be thrown*

Now that you've gotten that out of your system, allow me to explain.

Bryant is currently under contract through the 2019 season, but it’s the tail end of his current deal that’s causing the most strain on the salary cap. Extending him now would not only ease his cap hit over the next two seasons if the deal, at least, but would also get him one Paul Bunyan-sized step closer to retiring as a Cowboy — something he’s dying to do.

By the time Bryant fulfills this new proposed two-year extension (assuming it's an additional two or three year agreement), it’ll be 2022 at the latest and he’ll be 34 years old — a perfect time for him to consider calling it a career. Should things begin to take a downturn during the 2020 season for a then 32-year-old Bryant, the Cowboys would have a potential out following that year wherein the dead money would likely no longer exceed the base salary plus signing bonus resulting in a savings against the cap as a pre-June 1 move and an even bigger one if designated post-June 1.

That is, of course, contingent upon how they structure the proposed extension as it relates to length, compensation and guaranteed money -- the latter I would suggest making exceedingly minimal and instead loading the deal with incentivized payouts to both add extra motivation to keep the good times rolling on the field and keep the salary cap needle in a favorable spot.

Furthermore, an extension would also prevent a coming contract battle in 2019 should Bryant have another All-Pro year in 2018 following the purported scheme adjustments, the return of running back Ezekiel Elliott for a full season and the hopeful progression of quarterback Dak Prescott.

In other words, if the Cowboys' changes this offseason bear fruit and Bryant plays lights out then the offseason following 2018 could be marred with another holdout or some other contractual discontent. The two sides have danced in that pale moonlight before and they'd like to avoid a second tango. And speaking of Prescott, should be him and Bryant deliver pro bowl seasons in 2018 -- do the Cowboys really want to risk having to negotiate extensions with both stars at the same time in 2019 while knowing all the leverage would then lie in the laps of Prescott and Bryant?

Yikes.

Approaching Bryant right now with a commitment beyond 2019 is a move that makes sense in more ways than it doesn't, and one that should be entertained by owner Jerry Jones.

And so the recipe goes:

1. Extend Bryant.

2. Fix the scheme so he can dominate underneath, draft (or at least identify) a consistently speedy Z receiving threat to take the top off of the opposing defense and allow said dominance to occur at the second level.

3. Hold Bryant and Prescott hostage on the practice field until the chemistry issues all but subside.

4. Keep Elliott on the field for 16 regular season games.

These are the ingredients to seeing the Cowboys' all-time leader in touchdown receptions return to the upper echelon of the NFL. All it takes is pre-heating the oven to 450 degrees and then crossing your fingers that the team has the right chefs in the kitchen kneading the dough going forward.

From there, it'll rise again.

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