Tony Pollard is set to play another contract year in 2023.
The Cowboys running back will play the 2023 season on the franchise tag he signed back in March with today's 4 p.m. ET deadline passing with no long-term deal reached.
NFL Network's Jane Slater reported Monday that there wasn't extensive discussion about a long-term deal, per a source.
Pollard will earn a fully guaranteed $10.091 million in 2023 on the tag.
Pollard enters 2023 coming off his best season, setting career highs in rushing yards (1,007) and touchdowns (nine) while adding 371 yards and three more scores through the air to earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Signifying his big-play abilities, Pollard had the fewest carries (193) by any 1,000-yard RB in the NFL in 2022.
In the postseason, Pollard had an efficient 77 rushing yards off 15 carries in the Cowboys' wild-card win over Tampa Bay, but a broken leg in the early going of a Divisional Round loss to the 49ers ended his breakout campaign on a sour note.
Pollard's outlook has been positive since suffering the injury, saying most recently that he feels "faster" and that he's "a little bit ahead of schedule" amid his recovery.
The emergence of the former fourth-round pick brought forth a big change in Dallas ahead of the 2023 season as the Cowboys released longtime RB Ezekiel Elliott, whose 10,598 scrimmage yards since 2016 leads the NFL.
The decision to cut a star player and fan favorite such as Elliott was made easier with Pollard lying in the wake. Although Pollard is set to become the Cowboys' featured back for the first time in 2023, a stable pay raise for the 26-year-old will have to wait.
