3 reasons Cowboys not extending Tony Pollard was a no-brainer

The Dallas Cowboys boast one of the NFL's most electric running backs in Tony Pollard. Unfortunately for Pollard, he played the first three years of his four-year rookie contract in Ezekiel Elliott's shadow, even though most fans would argue he's been the superior player for the last two seasons.

Unlike most RBs, Pollard was quick to the draw in terms of signing his franchise tag earlier this offseason.

That gave the Cowboys and Pollard plenty of time to negotiate an extension before Monday's 4 p.m. EST deadline for tagged players to sign a multi-year contract with their current teams, though it quickly became apparent that the odds were stacked against the 2022 Pro Bowler.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that -- barring a late change of heart -- Pollard and the Cowboys won't reach a deal by the cutoff.

That's ultimately what happened. While Pollard is a great player and imperative to the offense, the Cowboys were smart to hold off here.

3 reasons Cowboys were right to not extend Tony Pollard

3. Pollard will already make $10.1 million on franchise tag

At the end of the day, $10.1 million is good value for Pollard, who made $3.187 million total the previous four seasons combined. As a former fourth-round pick, he had an average salary of $796,000 and a $667,780 signing bonus.

The $10.1million franchise tag is fully guaranteed, which means Pollard is locked into that sum regardless of health and performance.

That's a great deal for Pollard given the current RB market. No free agent this offseason signed for more than $6.25 million annually.

Additionally, no running back got more than $13 million guaranteed and the second-best (David Montgomery) got $11 million guaranteed from the Bears on his three-year deal, which is slightly greater than Pollard's $10.1 million.

No sense investing more money into Pollard.