The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to play their second playoff game of this postseason and the hope is that there will be more past Sunday, but an uncomfortable reality is that this could be the last one.
This means that the Cowboys are potentially four quarters away from their offseason beginning. Whenever we do eventually reach that point there are going to be a lot of questions for the team to answer and one of them is about the status of running back Tony Pollard.
This season is the final one of Pollard’s rookie contract which makes him a free agent. Pollard is one of the more dynamic players across the entire NFL and it seems that the Cowboys do not want to watch him put on another uniform in a few months.
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly want to keep Tony Pollard and the franchise tag is a possible option
History tells us that the Cowboys rarely lose players who they truly value, so if they are serious about not wanting to lose Tony Pollard, then odds are that they will find a way to make all of this work. While Pollard is scheduled to hit the open market, there is one tool available at the team’s disposal and that is the franchise tag.
Early on Sunday afternoon NFL Network reported that the Cowboys want to find a way to retain Tony Pollard this offseason and that the tag is obviously one of the options.
From @NFLGameDay: The #Cowboys want to keep RB Tony Pollard and the franchise tag is considered an option; As for the #49ers, a massive Nick Bosa extension is a priority for this offseason. pic.twitter.com/gm2fNqmE8L
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2023
Ian Rapoport notes in his hit that the franchise tag value for Pollard would be about $10M, and the Cowboys have a lot of money tied up in the running back position thanks to the Ezekiel Elliott contract from four years ago this August. There is no more guaranteed money left on Elliott’s deal so the Cowboys could choose to move on if they wish.
The Elliott contract has grown more and more as the subject of criticism by many as the years have passed. Elliott is a wonderful player for the Cowboys but the merits of giving the running back position that much money are what many have taken issue with. It will be interesting to see what value Dallas has for the position in the here and now, plus Pollard’s value on its own is a separate thing from the discussion around the position.