Cowboys running back Tony Pollard opens up about failure to reach long-term deal

Of the NFL’s three running backs that received franchise tags for the 2023 season, only Dallas Cowboys star Tony Pollard opted to sign the deal as presented. Although the front office worked on a long-term deal for him, the two sides ultimately couldn’t arrive at an agreement.

On the first day of training camp practice, Pollard shared his take on how the negotiations went.

“I mean everybody wants to get a deal done, but it was a progress for me,” Pollard said. “So that’s how I’m looking at it right now and just trying to be positive about things.”

The Cowboys failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract but kept him on the roster by using the franchise tag. He is now going to receive $10.1 million, fully guaranteed, for the 2023 season.

After suffering a brutal injury in the Cowboys’ final playoff game last season, perhaps there wasn’t much leverage Pollard could use to boost his side of the negotiations. Regardless of injury, running backs across the league have been devalued over the last few years, with only a small number reaching megadeals.

Running back valuation ‘is what it is’

Many of the NFL’s top ball carriers joined a Zoom call to discuss the contract issue, but Pollard wasn’t among them.

“I mean, honestly, I can’t speak for everybody, [but] the situation is what it is,” Pollard said. “You get tagged, you can’t work out a deal out in time, then it’s no point in just keep bringing it up. At this point I’m here where my feet are. I’m at camp. So I’m ready to go.”

Just because Pollard understands the reality of the situation doesn’t mean he doesn’t think his position is worth big money.

“It’s very valuable,” Pollard said. “You know just what we bring to the game, being able to run the ball, pound the ball, catch out of the backfield, being able to block, so it’s a combination of a lot of different positions in one.”

Pollard ‘pretty much’ back following leg injuries

Tony Pollard said he’s “pretty much” back after suffering a high-ankle sprain that required surgery, as well as a broken fibula, at the end of the 2022 season. The former fourth-round draft pick is now heading into his fifth season in the league.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now, pretty much at 100 percent,” Pollard said, via Jon Machota. “At this point, it’s just on me and the trainers, communicating, being smart, not rushing anything, not getting out there and going full speed too early. Just easing back into it.”

Pollard finished 2022 as the team’s leading rusher with 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career as well, though he wasn’t able to participate due to his injury.

With Ezekiel Elliott being released this offseason, more touches are coming Pollard’s way.