The NFLPA was up in arms when word leaked early last week that the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos had talks about the potential contracts they would offer Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas, two players who had the franchise tag placed on them earlier this year by their respective teams. They were fearful that it would lead to neither player getting the money they wanted or not being signed to a long-term deal at all, but in the end, it was exactly what needed to be done to get these two star receivers signed.

Stephen Jones and the rest of the Cowboys’ brass didn’t want to overpay and therefore set the new standard for how receivers get paid in the NFL but they know just how important Bryant is to their team, so they knew that they had to get a deal done to keep him both happy and in Dallas. So seeing that the Broncos were in a similar situation, they wanted to make sure that they weren’t too far off in what they were offering the game changing receiver; and now that both Bryant and Thomas got essentially the same deal done today before the deadline, I would say that the strategy worked.

All of the details of the contract aren’t available at this time but Bryant got the long-term security he was hoping for in the form of five years for $70 million, $45 million of which is guaranteed. Now the Cowboys can enter camp with one less distraction on their plate and with their star receiver happy and ready to set the tone for the upcoming year.