Entering a contract year, it seemed a foregone conclusion that 2022 would be Tony Pollard’s last with the Dallas Cowboys. With Ezekiel Elliott still handling the lion’s share of the workload and locked down through the 2026 season, Pollard’s future in Dallas seemed virtually non-existent after this year. This reflection could have been a little premature.
Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ executive vice-president, told 96.7 The Ticket recently that they have not yet had contract extension talks with Pollard, who is in the final year of his rookie contract.
“There are some things as we go forward that we just have to take a look at,” Jones said, “in terms of that running position and the ceiling and how that works, in terms of Zeke and Tony and how we work those two together, so we’ll continue to see how that evolves over the year, but the goal is to bring Tony Pollard back next year.
There’s a lot to digest here, but it’s the final piece on ‘the goal is to get Tony Pollard back here next year’ that should strike a chord with those of us who would like to see the No. 20 will continue to dress for the Cowboys beyond the 2022 season. But, as Stephen Jones says, there are some things they need to look at moving forward.
Working out the blueprints of everything is the biggest hurdle the Dallas Cowboys face in deciding whether or not to offer Tony Pollard a contract extension. There is no doubt that his game alone justifies such an extension, but it is Ezekiel Elliott’s heavy and bloated contract that could have the biggest impact on this decision.
Zeke still has five years left on his huge contract he signed in 2019. However, if the Cowboys want to leave him in 2023, it would hit their salary cap of around $12 million and save them around $5 million. dollars in space. They could also designate him a cut after June 1, spreading that cap over two years, ultimately saving them nearly $11 million.
This “exit” the Cowboys have in Zeke’s contract is similar to the one they had with Amari Cooper this offseason. That alone opens the door a bit for a possible Tony Pollard return. Even if that happened, Dallas would still swallow a big chunk of the No. 21’s contract and still have to sign Pollard for an extension.
According spotrac.comTony Pollard’s next contract is expected to earn him around $6.3 million annually. If the Cowboys decide to save around $5 million by parting ways with Zeke, as we mentioned earlier, those savings could go toward a contract extension for Pollard. Such a move would mean the No. 20 would become Dallas’ new No. 1 running back.
There’s a lot to consider between now and Tony Pollard officially becoming a free agent at the end of the 2022 season, but the fact that Stephen Jones says the Cowboys are even considering a contract extension for him is intriguing to say. than the least. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait to see what happens.
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