The Dallas Cowboys have the franchise tag on Dez Bryant this offseason and the team is hoping to work out a long term deal, but there is a chance the receiver could hold out and this comes as the Cowboys may consider an Adrian Peterson trade, while names like Todd Gurley, Tevin Coleman and Melvin Gordon could be NFL draft targets for Jerry Jones.
The Cowboys let DeMarco Murray go this offseason and while the team already signed Darren McFadden as a free agent, there is a chance they add more at the position. According to Todd Archer at ESPN.com, the team had considered an Adrian Peterson trade this offseason, but no deal is close to happening, while Jones is "strongly" considering taking a running back high in the draft. The class this year is deep, with Gordon and Gurley looking like the top prospects.
The Cowboys also have the contract of Dez Bryant to get done and if the two sides cannot agree, he likely will play on the franchise tag deal for one year. According to Todd Archer at ESPN, Bryant likely will end up playing on the one year deal worth $12.8 million, as reports have the two teams not close on a deal. Archer writes that the sides are not talking and that it will take time to get a deal done.
The team recently reworked the contract of quarterback Tony Romo and free up over $10 million in cap space and that could help sign Bryant. The move also could free up the team to try and trade for Peterson. Last season Bryant was excellent, making 88 catches for 1320 yards and a career best 16 touchdowns. Bryant is a key player for the Cowboys and if he is not signed long term, he could skip out on some of the summer training camp with a holdout.
The Cowboys felt that Murray could be replaced and they did not want to pay him a high salary with his age and injury history. That logic could rule out the team from Peterson, as he has a huge contract, but they could also try and restructure that deal if a trade happens. According to Pro Football Talk, the situation with Peterson could start moving more soon, as he is eligible for reinstatement and could be officially back with the Vikings by the end of the month.
Peterson was placed on the exempt list last season after playing in one game and that is part of the reason why he may not want to return to Minnesota. The future for Peterson has been up in the air since last year and sources reported to ESPN that he is "uneasy" about coming back after the way he was pushed to the exempt list by the team and the league last season.
Peterson's agent went public with comments about the potential of not coming back to Minnesota, but the Vikings have been consistent in saying they want Peterson back. The Cowboys have Darren McFadden, but they likely will address the running back position in the draft, as the class is deep with names like Duke Johnson and Tevin Coleman options behind Gordon and Gurley.