Dez Bryant simply wants to be respected and according to the wide receiver's Twitter account, the Dallas Cowboys are not showing it. Bryant is currently in the middle of contract negotiations with the team as he has the opportunity to become a free agent in March. The Cowboys are aware of just how high the interest will be if Bryant is available at the start of the offseason and intend to force him to a franchise tag if a long-term contract is not agreed upon. Bryant is not happy about that idea.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is officially in Bryant's doghouse after he made it clear that a franchise tag might be the only option to retain Bryant for the upcoming season. The tag window opened Monday and teams have until March 2 to make a decision on whether or not to use it.
"Right now we're probably leaning that way," Jones said, via ESPN.com. "But that doesn't mean it won't change." "We'll probably wait 'til the midnight hour to make that decision."
Bryant has already made it clear that he would be highly disappointed if the Cowboys opted to give him the franchise tag over a long-term deal. The wide receiver has said he would love to be a franchise player for Dallas, but there is some respect that must be displayed on the team's end. After catching wind of Jones' comments, Bryant had a little bit to say on Twitter regarding the issue.
A fan tweeted to Bryant that he loved how dedicated the receiver was to the Cowboys in which he responded saying, "I wish they felt the same way but it's cool..It's #business." Bryant has not deleted the tweet, making it clear that he is ready to get paid for his production. As a rookie the receiver took a smaller deal with the Cowboys and does not intend to do so again. However, the Cowboys have Tony Romo's contract currently killing the salary cap and they must attempt to re-sign league-leading running back DeMarco Murray as well.
The Cowboys will not let Bryant hit the market. If they feel a long-term deal is simply unattainable at this time, a franchise tag is the likely move. It will pay Bryant a nice chuck of change, but every player wants the long-term extension. The Cowboys better prepare themselves for Bryant to make his feelings clear during this process while a holdout can be expected come training camp time.
