Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard was the only one of the franchise tagged running backs to report to team activities after signing his tag back in March.
This still left the door open for Pollard and Dallas to work towards a long-term extension, but according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, it’s seeming unlikely that the two sides will reach a new deal by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline. Pollard will play out the 2023 season on the $10.09M franchise tag.
Despite the team tagging Pollard and the veteran back signing the tag, the team made it clear that they weren’t planning on Pollard playing out next season on a one-year tryout. Pollard wisely chose to take the money in hand while still keeping the possibility of a new deal open in the future.
It was established early that Dallas would continue working towards a new deal with Pollard, albeit not one quite as lengthy as the one they gave Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott’s six-year, $90M extension was cut short with four seasons remaining when the team designated him as a post-June 1 cut. In order to avoid making the same mistakes twice, the Cowboys were reportedly eyeing an extension for a term of closer to three or four years for Pollard. Even if they weren’t going to dedicate a long-term deal to him, a medium-term extension was still in the cards for the 26-year-old.
Fortunately, because Pollard signed the tag, the two sides have an additional eight months to work out the terms of a possible extension.
In the meantime, Pollard will play out the year under the guaranteed money of the franchise tag. If the Cowboys fail to extend Pollard, they’re unlikely to tag him in consecutive years, so this season should result in a new contract for Pollard, regardless.
Whether that contract is a re-signing with Dallas or a new deal in free agency will be determined down the road.
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