No surprises here, as the Dallas Cowboys have slapped the franchise tag on Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant. Unless Bryant signs a long term extension before the July 15th deadline he will play the 2015 season earning $12.823 million dollars.
Dallas didn’t use a concrete franchise tag but if a team wants to sign Bryant they would have to give up two first-round picks if the Cowboys decided not to match whatever the offer is from the opposing team.
With the Cowboys decision to franchise tag Dez Bryant that all but seals DeMarco Murray’s fate in hitting the open market in free agency. Murray was the NFL’s leading rusher but the Cowboys front office, Jerry Jones, made it clear if he didn’t sign an extension before free agency started then he would become a free agent. Who’s not to say they couldn’t renegotiate during the offseason but there are many teams in need of a running back.
Bryant and the Cowboys have been working on an extension for some time but haven’t been able to come to an agreement.
Jerry Jones had this to say about franchising Bryant, “I can tell you I’m not that excited about the franchise tag with Dez simple because I’d like to have our agreement and our business in place for a long time to come with Dez. But the franchise is there for a reason and situations like this are what everyone had in mind.”
There is no doubt Dez Bryant is one of the most dominate receivers in the game today. The two-time Pro Bowler is coming off a season where he caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards while racking up 16 touchdowns, a Cowboys franchise record. In his first five seasons in the NFL Bryant has caught 56 touchdown passes, only Jerry Rice (66) and Randy Moss (60) have caught more in his first five seasons.
Can Dez’s hissy fits on the sideline rub people the wrong way? Yes, but there is no doubt next to Calvin Johnson Dez Bryant is the most dynamic receiver in the entire league. We're sure both parties wanted a long-term extension but this was a no-brainer for Dallas considering his off-field issues and you never know what can happen year-to-year in the NFL.