Dez Bryant Says He Wishes Cowboys 'Felt the Same Way' Regarding Contract

On the same day that Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team was "leaning" toward using the franchise tag on Dez Bryant, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com, the star wide receiver spoke about his relationship with the team.     

Bryant responded to a fan on Twitter with the following:   

That was seemingly Bryant's fairly diplomatic way of saying that he wasn't pleased with the notion of being given the franchise tag. Ed Werder of ESPN reported that the consequences of the Cowboys going the franchise tag route could be a bit more serious than a tweet, however:

Surely, Jones' comments on Tuesday were strategic in nature, as the team is using the leverage of a franchise tag in any negotiations about a long-term extension. As Clarence Hill of the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram noted, the team's intention was always to use the tag on Bryant:

It's pretty clear that both parties would like to remain aligned, but it's just as clear that both sides are going to use every weapon in their arsenal in extension negotiations.    

The Cowboys are walking a fine line, however. Bryant is coming off an excellent season that saw him catch 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns and further solidify his place as one of the truly elite receivers in all of football. From a business perspective, slapping Bryant with the franchise tag is a logical move, but it could also seriously strain Bryant's relationship with the front office and lead to a divorce of the parties down the line. 

Bryant is just 26 and has years of excellent football in front of him. It seems both he and the Cowboys want those years to be spent in Dallas. But it also seems clear that the games being played between the sides in contract negotiations are putting a strain on the relationship, namely from Bryant's perspective.