The Dallas Cowboys hit Dez Bryant with the franchise tag this offseason, and the All-Pro wide receiver has until July 15th to either sign the $12.823 tender or work out a long-term extension with the team. If an agreement can’t be reached, Bryant might not show up.
And we’re not just talking about training camp.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that Bryant is contemplating not showing up for the Cowboys’ season-opener in September if he can’t hammer out a long-term deal with the team. His agent, Tom Condon, offered no comment when asked about the report.
“I’m just not going to comment about that,” Condon said. “Our goal is still to get something done on a long-term basis by the deadline.”
Cowboys executive vice president of player personnel Stephen Jones recently said that the team is planning to make a push to sign Bryant long-term and avoid having to use the $12.823 million tender. However, Dallas has reportedly not made Bryant a new offer since last year.
While Bryant could not be reached for comment, a source told Mortensen that “pulling an Emmitt Smith” is an option for Dez. Smith missed the first two games of the 1993 season because of a contract dispute with the Cowboys, and the team went 0-2 in his absence. They went on to win the Super Bowl that year.
Mandatory minicamp begins for the Cowboys next week, but Bryant will not be required to attend since he is not yet under contract for the 2015 season.
It’s worth noting that Bryant attended organized team activities a couple of weeks ago, which seemed to indicate he is dedicated to the team. It seems unlikely that he would actually skip a regular-season game, and we can’t see the Cowboys letting it get to that.
