Source: Cowboys Open Tony Pollard Contract Talks, But Franchise Tag Planned

A source tells CowboysSI.com that the Dallas Cowboys' talks with Tony Pollard mean the franchise tag awaits.

FRISCO - One of the Dallas Cowboys' most intriguing pieces of business this offseason is what they do with running back Tony Pollard, and a source tells CowboysSI.com that as of Friday night what's being done right now is, well, nothing.

Negotiations have opened, the source tells us, are "going nowhere,'' further cementing the likelihood that the running back - who had a breakout year culminating in his first 1,000-yard rushing season and a Pro Bowl nod - will get the Dallas franchise tag at the Tuesday deadline to do so.

And in fairness, that means Pollard is himself "going nowhere'' as well. As owner Jerry Jones said to DFW media from the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Friday, "Tony is certainly a big part of our plans.''

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is correct in suggesting the Cowboys will use the franchise tag on Pollard should a new deal not be agreed upon, which has generally been the view from inside The Star. (This despite Jones insisting that determination has not been finalized.)

Pollard is slated to make slightly over $10 million APY under the tag, with this decision being potentially the first domino to fall for Dallas this offseason.

A long-term deal for a running back could make Dallas hesitant after Ezekiel Elliott's monster six-year, $90 million contract that ended up not paying off with true title contention. And now Zeke may be at the end of the rope, with the Cowboys having to eat a chunk of dead money to say goodbye. (Worth noting: On Friday, Jones is also saying he'd like to find a way to retain Elliott, obviously at a reduced price.)

But is it better for Dallas to sign Pollard to a new contract instead of tagging him? If that is your view - and it's a legit-enough one - we are suggesting you are about to be disappointed, again given the fact that we're being told that Dallas, despite Friday "conversations'' about a Pollard deal, has given no indication of wanting to be proactive.

Given Pollard's meteoric rise last year as one of the main offensive weapons, the tag can be seen as representative of his value to Dak Prescott and coach Mike McCarthy's new West Coast Offense.

A sidebar: With Pollard "looking" like he will play the 2023 season under the franchise tag, Dalton Schultz's future is probably elsewhere - and no, we don't have any indication that the Cowboys have engaged in serious talks about retaining him, either. Schultz's time in Frisco, and in truth, that is hardly surprising considering what the market is for tight ends currently.

Having Pollard back in 2023 will no doubt be music to the ears of Prescott and the offense, as at times last season, Pollard was the driving force. The Cowboys insist, by the way, that he will be healthy after his ankle /leg break injury suffered against the San Francisco 49ers, so there is positivity there.

So Pollard will be a Cowboy for one more season at least. ... but given the present state of negotiations, it might be one more season at most as well.

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