FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2017, file photo, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during an NFL game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Dallas Cowboys have released Dez Bryant, deciding salary cap relief with the star receiver's declining production outweighs the risk of him returning to All-Pro form with another team. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement Friday, April 13, 2018, it wasn't an easy decision, but was what the organization believes is in its best interest. (AP Photo/Brad Penner, File)

By SCHUYLER DIXON

AP Pro Football Writer

FRISCO, Texas — Dez Bryant never lived up to the big contract he signed with the Dallas Cowboys when he was among the best receivers in the NFL.

If the franchise leader in touchdown catches is going to find his 2014 All-Pro form again, it will be with another team.

The Cowboys released Bryant on Friday, deciding salary-cap relief and declining production from one of their biggest stars outweighed the risk of him proving them wrong by becoming a Pro Bowl player again somewhere else.

And Bryant used Twitter to make it clear that he will be trying.

“If I didn’t have my edge, I’ve got it now,” he wrote among a flurry of tweets over two days, starting the day before a meeting where owner and general manager Jerry Jones told him he was being released. “It’s very personal.”

The 29-year-old Bryant signed a $70 million, five-year deal after leading the NFL with 16 touchdowns in 2014. But he didn’t have a 1,000-yard season in three years under the big contract, and just played all 16 games without a 100-yard day for the first time in his eight-year career.

Bryant was owed $12.5 million on each of the last two years of his deal, with a $16.5 million salary cap hit both times.