The Dallas Cowboys already lost one offensive centerpiece to free agency this offseason. They're not trying to lose another next year.
Wide receiver Dez Bryant has still not shown up to OTAs due to his displeasure over being franchise tagged earlier this offseason. The two sides have been working extensively on a new long-term deal in advance of the July 15 deadline, but so far no official progress has been made. Will Dallas be able to ink one of the game's preeminent wide receivers to an extension before it's too late? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer in his weekly mailbag.
"I've been fairly pessimistic about a deal between the Cowboys and Bryant the entire offseason and there has been nothing lately that has led me to change my mind," Archer wrote. "I did find it interesting that Stephen Jones said they would try to make a push for a deal before the deadline, but will that push by a light tap on the door or will they try to break the thing down? The Cowboys are content with paying Bryant the $12.823 million due under the franchise tag. It would help their cap situation if they had Bryant under a long-term deal but it's not a requirement. I wrote about this during the season. I believe the Cowboy have altered the way they do business. If they don't get what they deem 'team friendly' deals, they won't do a deal. The only exception will be the quarterback. As of writing this, not only do I think Bryant will not have a long-term deal by July 15, I think he will be tagged again next year. The Cowboys don't want to lose Bryant at all, but if they don't have to fork over millions and millions, they won't. I think they've done deals in the past they knew were not the best but felt like the right thing to do at the time."
Jerry Jones' hardball approach has to be applauded after some of the erroneous contracts he's given out over the years. However, Bryant is an elite and highly valuable player. The 26-year-old pass-catcher hauled in 88 balls for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. In 75 career games he has already racked up 56 touchdowns, including three straight seasons with double digit scores and at least 1,200 receiving yards. You just don't find production like that very often.
Should the Cowboys elect to use the franchise tag on Bryant again in 2016, he would receive a 20 percent raise over the 2015 tag. That would amount to a salary north of $15.3 million.
