Jerry Jones says meeting with Dez Bryant 'probably in immediate future'

— -- INDIANAPOLIS -- Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones wants receiver? Dez Bryant on the roster in 2018, but he offered up the endorsement with a qualifier in a near 50-minute conversation with reporters Saturday at the NFL scouting combine.

"As I sit here do we want him on the team next year?" Jones said. "The answer is yes."

To remove the qualifier, the Cowboys and Bryant will have to come to some kind of agreement regarding Bryant's contract. Bryant is set to make $12.5 million and count $16.5 million against the salary cap in 2018. Executive vice president Stephen Jones has said a few times in the offseason that the contract needs to be addressed.

"We're not in any way off the page within the organization," Jerry Jones said.

Jerry Jones would not get into the details of the team's potential decisions regarding Bryant. He said a meeting with Bryant would happen "probably in the immediate future." The Cowboys do not need to make any adjustments to Bryant's contract to get under the salary cap by the start of free agency, but if they want to be somewhat active in the market, they would likely have to do something.

The Cowboys have yet to go to Bryant regarding a pay cut. If the Cowboys release Bryant, they could save as much as $12.5 million if he is designated as a post-June 1 cut, but he would still count $4 million against the 2019 cap.

Jones said he still considers Bryant a No. 1 receiver. If that is the case, then why does Bryant's contract need to be addressed?

"We have addressed guys in the prime of their careers' contract[s] before," Jones said. "We have made adjustments in their contracts. We continue to look for ways to improve your value on your roster. But Dez has a history with me on the Cowboys of working with his money. He is not the only [one] that that's happened."

In other topics:

• Jones said he is looking forward to the hearing Monday with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the league seeking reimbursement for the legal fees that stemmed from the Ezekiel Elliott suspension and Goodell's contract extension negotiations.

"You get right to completely address the facts," Jones said, "and I know he wants to know that, and I want him to know what the facts are."

Jones staunchly defended Elliott publicly as the running back fought the six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

When asked if he believes Elliott will behave better this offseason, Jones said, "He's paid the most level of punishment that I've seen for what he did. So he's done that. That would make any of us cognizant of the fact that you have serious accountability for any situation that you get into ... And it's costly, and it's certainly cost him. It's cost him. So he's smart, he is smart. And so we should have every reason to believe that that will be a constant reminder when you're making decisions."

• Jones said the team would be comfortable putting the franchise tag on defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, even with a cost of more than $17 million, but the hope remains to work out a long-term deal even if that does not seem likely at the moment.

• The Cowboys want to sign guard? Zack Martin to a long-term deal as well, but the recent signing of? Jimmy Garoppolo?and the impending deal for free-agent quarterbacks Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins and potential deals for Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers?has Jones thinking about Dak Prescott.

The Cowboys can't sign Prescott to a long-term deal until after the 2018 season, and he is scheduled to count just $725,848 against the cap this year.

"He's going to get his extraordinary contract, but while we can put the team together and take advantage when he is on this contract right now, we've got to be real astute to maximize that advantage," Jones said of Prescott. "We're a team that has a high-priced offensive line, and it gets a break with Dak right now. It gives us a chance to do some things on defense. This basic dynamic of salary structure won't be with us but for a year or two. So I guess what I'm trying to say is we need to take advantage of where our contracts are."