Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has a conundrum on his hands. His two biggest offensive weapons - wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray - will both hit free agency next month. Making matters worse, one of the only realistic options to re-sign them both may alienate one of his stars.
Jones has hinted throughout this process that he will use the franchise tag to block Bryant's exit from Big D if needed. His son and executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday that the team is "leaning" toward that option as the two sides continue to struggle with long-term contract negotiations.
This does not make Bryant a very happy little Cowboy.
"I wish They felt the same way but it's cool..It's #business," Bryant tweeted yesterday in response to a fan message. This is not the first time Bryant has voiced his displeasure over the possibility of being franchise tagged. Back in November, the star wideout said he would be "highly disappointed" if he was forced to play out 2015 under the tag. While the tag comes with a nice projected salary of $12.8 million next year, Bryant, like all players, is seeking more long-term security.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Bryant's displeasure could motivate him to "not show his face for the rest of spring until he is contractually required to do so."
The Cowboys know the risks of upsetting the notoriously mercurial Bryant and will continue to try and work for a more stable situation.
"We don't ever want to give up on a long-term deal," Stephen Jones said. "It's something we worked on all of last year and it kind of cooled off once we got into the season. We'll continue to see what our options are and things happen quickly as you go along. Things can go along with a lot not going on, but all of a sudden it happens.
"Who knows what tomorrow brings? Things have a sudden way of getting kicked in and you start to get some traction on something. You go down that road and get that done. It's dominoes."
We wished we shared Jones' sense of optimism, botched articulation and metaphors.
