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The NFLPA is reviewing information to see if there was any possible collusion between the Broncos and Cowboys on the pending contracts of receivers Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
"The NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys had contact about each player's contract when the collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA now is trying to determine if collusion did occur and when to possibly file a claim," Schefter wrote on Friday afternoon.
The deadline for both players to agree to long-term contracts is Wednesday, July 15. If long-term deals are not reached before then, both players will play on one-year franchise tags worth $12,823,000.
Collusion, according to dictionary.com, is a secret agreement, especially for fraudulent or treacherous purposes, or a conspiracy. In short, the NFLPA is attempting to find out if Dallas and Denver agreed to not pay their respective receivers more than an agreed upon amount by the two teams.
That would be collusion, allowing the teams to set their preferred price instead of letting the market set the price. A recent estimate from spotrac.com suggests that Thomas should be given a five-year, $80.8 million deal.
As of the time of this writing, neither the Broncos nor the Cowboys have commented on the NFLPA's review. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.