Cowboys release Dez, 'go in a new direction'

2:21 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys have released wide receiver Dez Bryant, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Friday.

“As an organization, we hold Dez Bryant in the highest regard, and we are grateful for his passion, spirit and contributions to this team for the past eight years,” Jones said in a statement. “He will always be a valued member of our family.”

Bryant was informed of his release after arriving at The Star, the team’s headquarters in Frisco, Texas. A source told ESPN’s Todd Archer that Bryant, who met with Jones, was not offered a pay cut.

Another source added that Bryant, who reacted to his release on Twitter after the meeting, will not be designated a post-June 1 cut.

The Cowboys will save $8 million against the cap this season with the move.

“Dez and I share a personal and professional relationship that is very strong, and he is one of just a handful of players with whom I have become that close to over the past 30 years,” Jones said in the statement.

“This was not an easy decision. It was made based upon doing what we believe is in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys. We arrived at this crossroad collectively with input from several voices within the organization. Ultimately we determined it was time to go in a new direction.”

Bryant’s future has been the biggest topic of the Cowboys’ offseason because of his $12.5 million base salary and $16.5 million salary-cap figure.

Since signing a five-year, $70 million contract in 2015, Bryant, 29, has not recorded more than 69 catches or 838 yards in a season. He missed time in 2015 with a broken foot and was bothered in 2016 with a tibial plateau fracture.

In 113 games over his eight seasons with the Cowboys, Bryant has caught 513 passes for 7,459 yards and a franchise-record 73 touchdown receptions. His yardage total ranks fifth in franchise history behind Jason Witten, Michael Irvin, Tony Hill and Drew Pearson.

Bryant, Irvin and Pearson all wore the No. 88 jersey for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys made a bid to sign Sammy Watkins as free agency began and have since added receivers Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson. The Cowboys have also been linked to some of the top wide receivers in the draft, with Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Maryland’s D.J. Moore and Oklahoma State’s James Washington among the team’s top 30 visitors to The Star.

At the recent owners meetings, Jones said he had not entertained the thought of Bryant not being on the roster in 2018. Coach Jason Garrett acknowledged the growth Bryant has experienced on and off the field since the Cowboys selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft, but he also said there is a business side to the NFL as well.

At present, the Cowboys have more than $30 million in cap space committed to their wide receivers and have a run-first offense that will lean heavily on Ezekiel Elliott.

The Cowboys officially begin their offseason program Monday.

ESPN’s Todd Archer contributed to this report.

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Cowboys release Dez, 'go in a new direction'
Cowboys release Dez, 'go in a new direction'
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Source: ESPN SPORTS