Dallas Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant has stated that he has earned the right to rank alongside the NFL's highest-paid players in his position.

Bryant also admitted that he hopes to sign a long-term contract extension with the Cowboys before the new season begins, so long as his performances are reflected in his pay.

The 25-year-old is tied for first in the league with 25 touchdown catches since the start of the 2012 season, while he ranks sixth in receiving yards (2,615) and seventh in receptions (185) over that time period.

He told ESPN: "Yeah, I deserve it, I feel like I do. I put the work in. But I let that kind of stuff take care of itself. It is what it is. I let my agent talk about it and give me some feedback.

"I'm loyal to the squad. I've always been. Me and my agent are going to talk about it. You know, this is big. This is life-changing. Like I said, I've done everything asked of me, and we'll see what happens."

Going into the final year of his rookie contract, Bryant is due to make $1.78m (£1.1m) in wages, as well as a $250,000 (£149,592) workout bonus.

Elsewhere in the NFL, other star wide receivers such as Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall all make upwards of $10m (£6m) annually.