Cowboys WR Bryant unleashes tweets before meeting Jones
Dallas Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant acknowledged he will meet with owner Jerry Jones on Friday amid a string of over 20 tweets and retweets Thursday night, seemingly blaming the media for speculating whether he will be back on the team in 2018.
Despite vowing several times he was "unbothered" about rumors of a possible split from the Cowboys, the three-time Pro Bowl receiver vented about offseason coverage of his potential roster status next season.
"I really been enjoying my offseason..I never in my life heard so much media try to destroy a single soul which is very sad but what is so great is I'm so un (expletive) bothered ?? #throwupthex," Bryant tweeted.
In response to a follower tweeting Bryant well-wishes before Friday's meeting, the Cowboys WR replied, "I'm still getting myself together...that's the only thing on my mind."
The three-time 1,000-yard pass catcher would later post: "The take from today.. I'm bothered because I said publicly I'm unbothered. That's a huge wow ?? take 2 I'm ranting and going off on the media whenever I'm just being normal Dez in my everyday life.. I can only control what I can control is what I tell myself...again unbothered."
Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan broke news of the upcoming meeting between the mercurial Bryant and Jones. Bryant, 29, has been considered a possible candidate for a pay cut or release this offseason, as he is due $12.5 million in salary in 2018 and is set to count $16.5 million against the Cowboys' cap.
Outright releasing Bryant would save Dallas $8.5 million against the cap while incurring a dead-money charge of $8 million. Doing so with a post-June 1 designation would save $12.5 million in 2018, while spreading the dead money across 2018 and 2019 with $4 million in each year.
Having carried Bryant to this point of the offseason, the Cowboys would likely seek a pay cut before releasing him. That said, they have been willing to break ties with high-profile players in the past, most recently releasing DeMarcus Ware due to cap concerns in the spring of 2014.
Either way, the team would likely prefer to resolve the issue by Monday, when players return to the building for the start of the offseason conditioning program.
When asked by reporters in December if he would consider taking a pay cut this offseason, Bryant replied, "Hell no, man. I believe in me."
He was less brazen when discussing the issue in February, telling 105.3 The Fan, "That's a discussion for me, for myself and my agent and Mr. Jones and the Joneses, the Dallas Cowboys." He added that the idea of playing for any team other than the Cowboys "wouldn't be right."
Since signing a five-year, $70 million extension in July of 2015, Bryant has been limited to 150 catches for 2,035 yards and 17 scores across three seasons, missing 10 games over that span due to injury. He totaled 273 catches for 3,935 yards and 41 scores over the previous three seasons while playing in every game.
Bryant said earlier this offseason that while it didn't force him to miss any time, knee tendinitis bothered him throughout the 2017 campaign. He added that he plans to be more committed to his health in 2018, saying, "This time around, I want to take care of my body. I want to get it all the way right."
The Cowboys have been active in the wide receiver market this offseason despite few major changes to the group thus far.
They were reportedly interested in free-agent wideout Sammy Watkins before he joined the Kansas City Chiefs in March, and Dallas later brought in receiver Allen Hurns after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team also signed former Chicago Bears wideout Deonte Thompson and let free agent Brice Butler depart in free agency.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have hosted three potential first-round wide receiver prospects for pre-draft visits in Calvin Ridley of Alabama, D.J. Moore of Maryland and Christian Kirk of Texas A&M.
--Field Level Media