On Tuesday, a report indicated that the NFLPA intended to move forward with a collusion investigation of the Broncos and Cowboys if wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant didn’t sign long-term contracts with their respective teams before Wednesday’s deadline to sign deals with franchise-tagged players.
The initial evidence of collusion was a conversation between Bryant and Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, who allegedly told Bryant that he’d discussed the two players with Broncos General Manager John Elway. The idea that the two men had such a conversation didn’t take much of a hit when the two players signed new contracts on Wednesday that set them up to make $70 million over the next five years, albeit with slightly different amounts of guaranteed money.