In the NFL, when you've got a good thing, you don't let it go easily.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knows he's got a good thing in wide receiver Dez Bryant, so he's going to make sure that Bryant doesn't end up anywhere other than Big D.
According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jones, while appearing on an episode of 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning, said that the team will either sign the mercurial young receiver to a long-term deal or slap him with the franchise tag should that prove too difficult.
"Dez isn't going anywhere," Jones said, per Williams.
Based on numbers released by NFL.com in February 2014, the franchise tag value for wide receivers was $12.312 million - that will slightly rise next season.
Bryant has been absolutely electric for the Cowboys this season and a major cog in the machine that has helped the team to return to the playoffs and post their first winning season since 2009.
With one game left to play in the regular season, Bryant already has 84 grabs for 1,221 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He, along with running back DeMarco Murray and quarterback Tony Romo, has paced the resurgent Cowboys.
While it's always best to be wary of a player who puts up such a spectacular season statistically during a contract year, Bryant has been a fantastic player since the day he entered the league as a first-round pick out of Oklahoma State.
He has topped the 1,000 yard mark and scored more than 10 touchdowns each year since 2012.
The franchise tag probably isn't something he or his agent is particularly excited to hear about or be confronted with, but its mention could help the two sides come together on a new contract sooner rather than later.
