On Friday afternoon, a report came out stating that Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys front office will franchise tag running back Tony Pollard if the two sides can't agree to a contract extension. Shortly after, Jones responded to the speculation. Via Jon Machota:
“Jerry Jones said it’s not accurate to say the Cowboys will use the franchise tag on Tony Pollard: “Why would I say that? You know I shouldn’t say that. Because I may be trying to sign somebody else and I’m threatening them with the franchise tag.” (Jerry laughing)
Is Jones just beating around the bush? It's hard to tell. However, the smartest thing to do would be to tag Pollard, who just broke his leg in January. giving him a long-term deal at 26 after such a brutal injury is dicey. That being said, Jones doesn't expect the setback to affect Pollard's contract:
Jerry Jones on the broken leg RB Tony Pollard suffered in January: “It’s problematic b/c he has to work through the offseason here and we’re putting some new things in. But my awareness of the repair that was done is good in terms of being able to not have it alter his contract.”
For what it's worth, Tony Pollard appears to be a big part of the Cowboys' plans. They have until Tuesday's deadline to sign him to a new contract or else the franchise tag will be used on Pollard, who is set for a substantial pay raise either way.
The 2019 draft pick made just over $1 million in 2022. The tag for RBs is worth $10.1 million in 2023. With Ezekiel Elliott's future up in the air, it's clear Tony Pollard could be RB1 come Week 1, barring any setbacks in his recovery.
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