Cowboys' Stephen Jones says team 'leaning towards' using franchise tag on Bryant

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones strongly hinted the team will use its franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant. 

Bryant is slated to become a free agent this summer, after catching 88 passes for 1,320 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns.

The Cowboys star told ESPN in November that his upcoming contract talks would be about respect, and asked the Cowboys not to question his commitment to the club.

Jones spoke about the Cowboys' progress in their negotiations with Bryant on Tuesday.

"Right now all things being equal, it's leaning more Dez with the franchise than it is not," Jones said to the Dallas Morning News' Rainer Sabin. "But that doesn't mean it will stay that way.

"We don't ever want to give up on a long-term deal. It's something we worked on all of last year and it kind of cooled off once we got into the season. We'll continue to see what our options are and things happen quickly as you go along. Things can go along with a lot not going on, but all of a sudden it happens."

NFL Network's Albert Breer projected the franchise tag for wide receivers to pay $12.8 million. 

Bryant would likely be the most sought-after free agent on the market, if he were available. He does not appear to be happy about the expected franchise tag.