The Dallas Cowboys plan on using the franchise tag on Dez Bryant this offseason over signing him to a long term deal right away and that could open the door for DeMarco Murray to return as a free agent, but if that doesn't happen, the Cowboys are expected to target Adrian Peterson in a trade or on the market if he is released by the Minnesota Vikings.
The Cowboys are coming into the offseason with two of their most important players hitting the market and even with the salary cap rising, it will be hard to keep both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. According to ESPN, the Cowboys are going to use the franchise tag on Bryant and have "informed" his agent of their plans, which comes ahead of the Monday deadline to use the exclusive tag. The two sides have been unable to reach a long term agreement, with Pro Football Talk speculating it could be due to reports of a video of an incident involving Bryant.
Jerry Jones is planning to try and keep both players, but he said to the media after the season that it would be "difficult" to bring them back after the way they performed in 2014. The Cowboys have a tight salary cap situation, but they can clear space by cutting Brandon Carr or reworking his contract along with the contract of Tony Romo, which could also be in for a restructure, according to ESPN Dallas. Jones said at the NFL combine he is hoping the franchise tag is just a "placeholder" deal as the team tries to work out a long term contract with Bryant.
Placing the exclusive tag on Bryant is a strong way to keep other teams from trying to sign the receiver, as they would have to give up two first round picks to make it happen. The franchise tag for receivers is expected to be $13 million this year and if the Cowboys can't reach a long term agreement with Bryant, they can live with paying him that much for another season. Bryant has new agents in Tom Condon of CAA and Kim Miale of Roc Nation and that comes after Bryant said earlier in the season he would be "disappointed" if the Cowboys tagged him.
Ed Werder at ESPN.com reports that Bryant may skip offseason activities if he is tagged and it comes after Bryant had his third straight dominating season. Last year Bryant had 16 touchdowns and 88 catches and in his career with the Cowboys he has over 380 catches and 56 total touchdowns. Bryant is the priority for the Cowboys this offseason and Murray is next in line, but the team appears willing to let the running back hit the market.
Murray led the league in rushing last season with 1845 yards and stayed healthy for 16 games for the first time in his career. But with the devaluing of the running back position and the fact that Murray has an injury history it looks like the Cowboys are willing to let Murray hit the open market. The team reportedly has offered Murray a four year deal and while the two sides have been negotiating, no deal has been reached.
Peterson has been mentioned as a target numerous times for the Cowboys and now that his suspension has been overturned on appeal, he has the chance to leave Minnesota. Peterson has a $15 million cap hit in 2015 and if he doesn't restructure his deal or take a pay cut, there is a chance that he could get released or traded by the Vikings. CowboysHQ writes that the team could be looking at Greg Hardy or Darnell Dockett on the free agent market this offseason on defense.
