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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Dallas Cowboys have three main focuses during the offseason from a personnel standpoint. They want to sign free-agent defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to a contract extension. They want to extend guard Zack Martin. They must come to a decision on the future of receiver Dez Bryant.
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While the Cowboys are 100 percent certain about what they want to do with Lawrence and Martin -- setting up meetings with their agents at the NFL Combine -- they are telling in their uncertainty surrounding Bryant.
He is set to make $12.5 million in 2018 with a cap figure of $16.5 million. He will most certainly be asked to take a pay cut.
The more the Cowboys talk, it looks like they are setting the stage for a Bryant departure.
Vice president Stephen Jones tellingly compared the impending decision with Bryant to the emotional departures of former stars Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
"Well, it's difficult," Jones said. "That's the hard part about our business. That's the way Jerry is. The way I am. You do get attached to these men. All amazing people that lay it on the line for the Cowboys, our fans, and no one respects them more than we do.
"When these times come, whether it's Troy, whether it's Emmitt, whether it's Michael, when that time finally gets there it's a difficult decision.
"You've seen the press conferences when Troy retires or Michael retires, it's a lot of emotion. And not to say Dez is at that point, but all these decisions are very difficult, especially with great players who've done so much for our organization."
Head coach Jason Garrett is also non-committal about Bryant.
Asked Wednesday directly if he wanted Bryant to return to the Cowboys in 2018, Garrett said the team has not had any specific personnel meetings about any players yet.
"You know we haven't had any specific personnel meetings about any of our players," Garrett said. "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."
Asked if he has talked to the front office about Bryant's contract, considering that Jones has been very pointed about the Bryant conundrum since the beginning of the offseason, he again punted.
"Obviously, there are a lot of decisions we have to make with our team," Garrett said. "Like we talked about earlier, your 2018 team will be different than 2017. We have some guys who are out of contract. We have some guys who have different kinds of contracts you have to discuss every year. So we haven't had specific conversations about any of those guys yet."
At issue is Bryant's declining numbers since signing a five-year, $75 million contract extension before the 2015 season.
Beforehand, he put up three straight seasons with at least 1,200 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.
Since then, Bryant has failed to reach 1,000 yards and has not had double-digit touchdowns.
Last season, Bryant led the Cowboys in receptions (69), receiving yards (838) and touchdown catches (6) but also ranked among the league leaders with a career-high 12 dropped passes.
Injuries are part of the story for Bryant as he suffered a fractured foot in 2015, causing him to finish the season on injured reserve and undergo offseason surgery.
In 2016, he missed three games with a fractured bone in his knee.
And while he didn't miss any games in 2017, he battled through an ankle injury and knee tendinitis.
"We have a tremendous amount of love for Dez Bryant as an organization," Garrett said. "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.
"He's been a great player for us for a long time."
