Dez Bryant Wants to Stay in NFC East, Says It's Personal After Cowboys Release

After being released by the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, Dez Bryant wants a shot at his now-former team.

Two shots, if possible.

The team made the move official after Bryant met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at Dallas' practice facility. On his way out, the longtime Cowboy hinted that he wanted to stay in the NFC East by telling reporters he'd see Dallas twice next season, per Mickey Spagnola of the team's official website.    

He reiterated that desire on Twitter:

Bryant made his reasoning crystal-clear later, per NFL Network's Dan Hellie: "Being in the division is a huge possibility it's something that I want. It's personal. I'm tired of being the scapegoat, and I'm going to keep proving that on and off the field."

After signing a five-year, $70 million deal in 2015, he was due $12.5 million in 2018 and carried a cap hit of $16.5 million. While many will point to the money as the reason behind his release, the three-time Pro Bowler feels it was more than that:

The Cowboys took Bryant in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, and he had spent his entire career in Dallas. He hauled in 531 catches for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns in his eight seasons with the team. He had a three-year stretch from 2012-14 in which he was one of the best wideouts in the league, hauling in at least 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in each campaign.

He may not have reached either of those plateaus in 2017, but he still put up solid numbers. Last season, he caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six scores.

Unfortunately for Bryant and the Cowboys, he broke a bone in his foot in his first regular-season game after signing his lucrative deal in 2015, and a knee injury bothered him in 2016. He has never regained his Pro Bowl form.

Getting revenge on the Cowboys appears to be his top priority when signing with a new team:

And for Dallas fans who may not want to see Bryant wearing the uniform of an NFC East rival, he said this wasn't the way he wanted things to play out:

NFL Network's Steve Wyche reported Friday there will be an "incredibly aggressive" market for Bryant—as evidenced by the amount of players who were recruiting him after the news of his release.

Now, it's time to wait and see if he gets his wish of staying inside the division.