Dez Bryant Says He’ll Hold Out Minus A New Deal

Update:

Dez Bryant confirmed his intentions to hold out if he and the Cowboys are unable to negotiate a long-term contract before Wednesday’s deadline.

As much as I love football…on my beautiful babies.. I apologize #cowboynation but I will not be there if no deal #fact

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 13, 2015

Rand Getlin of NFL Media clarifies that Bryant intends to hold out of training camp and the regular season if no agreement is in place.

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Cowboys executive Vice President Stephen Jones is now telling Ed Werder that Dez Bryant hasn’t called and threatened to hold out of training camp and the regular season.

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ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that Cowboys WR Dez Bryant personally called VP Stephen Jones to tell him that he won’t be in attendance for the start of training camp unless the two sides have an agreement in place before Wednesday’s deadline. 

Beyond that, Bryant reportedly told Jones that he will skip regular season games if he has to.

According to Werder, the Cowboys and Bryant have had just one face-to-face negotiating session this offseason. Although, they did exchange proposals just before the Fourth of July holiday.

Bryant reportedly Jones he understands the league created the franchise player designation with the approval of the NFLPA and that he wants to spend his career playing for the Cowboys.

However, Bryant added that he has proven himself to be one of the top receivers in the NFL and should be compensated accordingly.

Despite some optimism a few weeks ago that the two sides could have an agreement in place before the deadline to negotiate with franchise players, recent reports have said that there hasn’t been much, if any, progress between the two parties.

Jason Cole reported last week that the two sides reportedly aren’t close to one another in regards to money and Dallas believes Bryant needs the money and using this as leverage in contract talks.

If there weren’t off-the-field concerns about Bryant, Cole believes he could come close to the $48 million Calvin Johnson got from the Lions.

In the end, this situation could come down to Bryant’s desperation for a new deal or his willingness to wait it out for the best possible contract.

Bryant previously threatened to hold out of Week 1’s game unless they were able to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that sources around the league weren’t buying Bryant’s threat.

Dallas used their franchise tag on Bryant a few months ago, which means they’re looking at paying him a salary of $12.823 million fully guaranteed for the 2015 season. A long-term extension would offer them some immediate cap relief, but all indications have been that the Cowboys are approaching this situation with a great deal of caution.

Bryant, 26, caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns over the course of 16 games for Dallas last year. Pro Football Focus has Bryant rated as the No. 2 wide receiver in the league.

We’ll have more regarding Bryant and the Cowboys as the news is available.