IRVING, Texas – It may have taken until July 15 to put pen to paper. A couple days earlier No. 88 added a little extra suspense, indicating he’d withhold his touchdown-catching services from training camp and possibly games if no deal.
But the Cowboys always intended to get Dez Bryant signed long term.
“Losing Dez never crossed our mind,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.
All along Bryant wanted long-term security that came Wednesday in the form of a five-year, $70 million contract. He never wanted the one-year franchise tag, but it actually served a useful purpose for the Cowboys: It kept him away from free agency while the two parties eventually worked out a multi-year agreement.