Deadline for Dez Bryant Deal a Month Away

As of Monday, the Dallas Cowboys have a month to get a long-term deal with Dez Bryant done, or have him play out the season under the franchise tag and risk him holding out.

These latest reports have Bryant telling anyone who will listen that he’s serious when he about the idea of sitting out regular season games if a deal isn’t in place.

The franchise tender he’d receive would pay him $12.8 million for the 2015 season, a nice payday for the Pro Bowler. But he wants the security of a long-term deal. The Cowboys have said they want that, too, but they’re content to have Bryant play out the season under the tag.

“Would we like to get a long-term deal on him? Of course we would,” said executive vice president Stephen Jones. “We’ll work hard to do that, and I’m sure we’ll make a push at some point and see if we can make it work. If not, then hopefully he’ll understand that it’s difficult to make a deal at this point, and he’ll come on in and get ready to play.”