Jason Garrett Says Cowboys Have 'Tremendous Amount of Love' for Dez Bryant

The Dallas Cowboys will have a tough decision to make soon in regards to Dez Bryant—and not just because of what he can do on the field.

Dallas has to decide whether to pay its star receiver $12.5 million in 2018, ask him to take a pay cut or just release him. Given that Bryant has been a part of the organization since 2010, there are strong ties between the two sides.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett admitted at the combine, per ESPN's Todd Archer, that emotions are coming into play:

"We have a tremendous amount of love for Dez Bryant as an organization. He's made so many contributions to our team. I personally have a lot of love for him as a player and more so as a person. The growth and development that he's made over the course of his career with us has been exponential and has made a huge impact on our team."

When Bryant signed the five-year, $70 million contract back in 2015, he was one of the best wideouts in the league. He had put up three consecutive 1,200-yard seasons, catching double-digit touchdowns in each of those campaigns. Those monster seasons gave the team no choice but to pay him.

Unfortunately for Bryant and the Cowboys, disaster struck right away. He broke a bone in his foot in his first regular-season game after signing the massive contract, and a knee injury hampered his 2016 performance.

The 29-year-old had a nice 2017 season, catching 69 passes for 838 yards with six scores. But those aren't the type of numbers the team is paying him big money for. As a result, he could find himself a cap casualty.

The Cowboys have yet to make an official statement on Bryant's future in Dallas, leading everyone to try to read between the lines of every comment made. That hasn't been easy because the organization isn't saying much. Just look at how Garrett responded when asked if he wanted his star wideout back in 2018, per Archer:

"We had a wrap-up meeting at the end of the season, almost reviewing what happened last year, and we'll have some more meetings starting this week, and then once we get back to Dallas about the specific roles for each of our players going forward."

In normal circumstances, most coaches would jump at the opportunity to keep a 6'2" Pro Bowl receiver. A drop in performance and an expensive price tag are making this harder on Jerry Jones and Co.

Bryant has been a big part of the franchise for the past eight years, and it looks like Dallas wants to treat the situation with caution out of respect for him. As much as emotions may factor into the final say, the Cowboys will do what's best for the team, because the NFL is a business above all else.