Just when it appeared Tony Pollard was heading toward saying his goodbyes to the Dallas Cowboys, his situation could now become reversed.
Pollard may not be done with Dallas just yet, per one NFL insider on Wednesday.
Is Tony Pollard Open to New Cowboys Deal? Details Emerge
According to Dallas Morning News Cowboys insider Calvin Watkins, Dallas remains in the picture for the 2022 Pro Bowl running back.
“Pollard is open to returning, even if the contract from another team is slightly higher than the Cowboys’ offer,” Watkins writes about a conversation he had with a Cowboys representative.
This points toward Pollard’s willingness to accept a hometown discount to stay with the Cowboys.
Watkins isn’t the only one with his ear to Pollard’s pending future ahead of the official start of free agency on Wednesday, March 13.
Matthew Berry of NBC Sports gained some intel involving Pollard and the Cowboys during his trip to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Is he also hearing Pollard and Dallas having a re-link?
“I’m told a likely landing spot for Tony Pollard is … Dallas? Yeah, apparently the Cowboys want to bring him back despite all of us thinking he had a down year,” Berry said in his NFL Combine report released on Tuesday.
Per Berry’s words, the Cowboys still take a liking to Pollard despite his dip in production compared to his breakout ’22 campaign.
“He wasn’t fully healthy for a lot of the year, but they like him a lot there, and I was told: ‘Don’t be surprised if they bring Pollard back,'” Berry said.
How Much Room Does Dallas Have for Pollard?
The Cowboys are currently set to operate with approximately $10.6 million in salary cap space ahead of the upcoming league calendar year.
Pollard is projected to earn an average salary of $6.5 million for his next deal per Spotrac, who’s also predicting a two-year, $13 million contract for him.
But with Pollard closely looking at a potential return, Cowboys fans who want to see him back will likely embrace the fact he’s willing to play on a more workable deal.
Another welcoming aspect is that, if the Cowboys were to pivot to free agency, they still run the risk of getting a veteran option up to speed with their offense. Pollard already knows the blocking schemes and plays that both Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer have laid out in Dallas.
Furthermore, Pollard considering a return creates less pressure for 2023 rookie Deuce Vaughn to emerge immediately. Dallas’ second-leading rusher Rico Dowdle is also a restricted free agent.
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Pollard currently ranks as PFN’s fourth-best free-agent running back for the 2024 class.
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