“Bet on himself and lost”- NFL fans troll Dalton Schultz for rejecting Cowboys' 3-year, $36m offer in favor of Texans

Dalton Schultz learned a lesson in the hardest possible way during free agency. The former Dallas Cowboys tight end declined a big contract offer from his team to test the market and the returns were disappointing.

After rejecting a three-year, $36 million contract offered by the Dallas Cowboys, Schultz's gamble in free agency backfired badly. He ended up signing a one-year, $9 million contract with the Houston Texans on Monday, a far cry from the $12 million-per-year average that he would have earned with Dallas.

NFL fans were quick to go after him as soon as news broke of his contract details with the Texans:

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Why did Dalton Schultz refuse the Cowboys' offer?

Dalton Schultz in action

Dalton Schultz wanted to break the bank in free agency. Although no other tight end got as much money as him at a yearly average, he certainly expected to be paid like the top guys - and this has not worked out.

In recent years, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, and Evan Engram got deals that, at maximum, had a $12.5 million-per-year average. He wanted to surpass all these guys - and frankly, he had a pretty good shot at doing so. But his market was disappointing.

It's fair to wonder whether he wanted to break the top five at the position, which would have netted him $14 million per year, just like Mark Andrews received from the Baltimore Ravens.

With the salary cap going as high as ever, this was a fair expectation for someone who refused $12 million. Settling at $9 million must have been a very disappointing deal in the end.

The bright side for Schultz is that he signed a one-year deal, and with another solid season, he will be able to cement himself as one of the best tight ends in the league. This would mean he could be up for bigger offers in the future.

For now, he has to be content with a disappointing salary in Houston.