Dez Bryant Tips His Hand on Which Team He Prefers

Dez Bryant remains arguably the biggest name still available on the NFL free agent market, and people remain curious when he’ll sign.

It’s hard to pinpoint what the holdup could be. There is any number of explanations. Bryant could be holding out for a bigger payday, one that teams simply don’t wish to give him since his recent play and the fact he’s turning 30 don’t warrant such an investment. There’s also the fact he’s proven to be a distraction in the past, and more than ever teams have made it clear they don’t want high-maintenance players on their roster if it can be avoided.

Thus he continues to wait. Odds are as the inevitable injuries across the league hit the receiver position, some team will come courting him. He’s just too proven a player to not at least get a one-year offer from somebody before the season begins. Yet that doesn’t mean the man himself doesn’t have certain teams he’d like to play for. Initially, it seemed like Bryant wanted to join another team in the NFC East in order to get back at the Cowboys for cutting him.

Now new information reveals he has a different destination in mind. Bryant was asked on Instagram which team he’d prefer to play for. Surprisingly he gave an answer before quickly deleting it. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.

Bryant wants to play for an old Cowboys rival

Having an interest in the 49ers isn’t a surprise. They have one of the best young offensive coaches in the league in Kyle Shanahan along with an emerging young quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. Add in the fact they play in sunny San Francisco and it’s little wonder that Bryant would love to play there. However, it likely goes a bit deeper than that.

One must remember Bryant was born and raised in Texas. He grew up watching the Cowboys and a had a front row seat for their epic battles in the 1990s against the 49ers. It’s a rivalry that stretches across decades. To add one last cherry on the sundae? San Francisco will play the Cowboys in the preseason this year. It’s not the ideal scenario, but it would give him a limited crack at his former team.

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Of course none of this matters if the 49ers have no interest in him. Bryant’s skill set doesn’t seem to fit the type of receivers they covet, so there would have to be a significant shift for this deal to happen.