Cowboys insist nothing to NFLPA’s investigation into possible collusion

The NFL Players Association is investigating whether the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos colluded over the unresolved contract situations of their franchise receivers, an NFLPA source confirmed Friday.

ESPN first reported that the NFLPA believes the teams had contact about the players’ contracts, which is prohibited under the collective bargaining agreement.

A Cowboys source said there is “nothing to it.”

Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas both have yet to sign the franchise tags applied by their teams. They have until Wednesday to reach long-term deals. Otherwise, they must play 2015 under the one-year, franchise-tag guarantee of $12.8 million.

Bryant has threatened to sit out regular-season games without a new long-term deal.

According to a source, the Cowboys and Bryant’s agent, Tom Condon, made no real progress during a meeting two weeks ago in what was their first negotiation in months.

In five years, Bryant has caught 381 passes for 5,424 yards and 56 touchdowns. He made the All-Pro team for the first time last year.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Cowboys insist nothing to NFLPA’s investigation into possible collusion."