FRISCO, TX — The time has come for the Dallas Cowboys to focus on what will be one of the biggest decisions of their 2023 free agency. With the schedule shifted to February 21, NFL teams officially have the opportunity to decide which player will receive the franchise or transition tag for the upcoming season.
They won’t have much time to make a decision, considering the deadline is March 7 (4 pm ET) and, of course, it will be interesting to see what the front office in Dallas decides. There’s nothing forcing a team to use either tag, but given the list of talented players the Cowboys could lose on the open market, it’s safe to say they’ll tag someone.
But who could it be?
Dalton Schultz is one of the leading candidates for the franchise tag, considering he still doesn’t have a long-term deal after he and the Cowboys failed to reach an agreement last summer.
However, the problem is clear and obvious, as Schultz would be operating under a second franchise tag and, as such, would be subject to a raise of approximately $13 million (120% of his salary in 2022), after having earned $10.9 million fully guaranteed last year.
Nonetheless, it’s not necessarily the future tag salary at Schultz that makes it challenging to imagine happening, but rather the fact that Tony Pollard had the best season of his career in every category that mattered after being completely unleashed. along with Ezekiel Elliott.
If Pollard is tagged, his salary would be less than what Schultz earned last season by $800,000 ($10.1 million), and would not only allow the Cowboys to negotiate a long-term deal through July 14, but the running back The Pro Bowl team would also not be allowed to receive calls from other teams, assuming it’s a franchise-only tag.
A non-exclusive tag would still allow for negotiations with other clubs, but Pollard couldn’t leave without the Cowboys having the option to match the higher offer and, if they chose not to, they would receive two first-round picks from the other team.
And then there’s the transition tag, which is similar to the non-exclusive tag in that the player can still trade other teams and walk away if the Cowboys don’t match the higher offer, but Dallas wouldn’t get any compensation if that happens; although the transition tag is less expensive due to the higher risk of losing the player.
Only one tag can be used per team per year, but they can also be rescinded after they’re assigned if deemed appropriate by an organization.
But Schultz and Pollard aren’t the only players in this conversation, although they are the two favorites and Pollard is expected to be the one they decide to tag.
Then there’s Leighton Vander Esch, who delivered a revival season that reminds you of her great rookie season, and who is entering free agency again after proving invaluable on a one-year deal signed last spring.
The issue here is cost, because a franchise tag for a linebacker would cost $20.9 million ($17.5 million as a transition tag), so the likelihood of the Cowboys making this move is slim to none.
Seriously, that’s not going to happen.
And what about Donovan Wilson, the safety who helped lead the Cowboys’ defense? Not to mention him in this conversation would amount to poor labor practice, considering how Wilson has evolved since his days as a sixth-round pick in 2019; but there is also a cost to his position.
Tagging a safety in 2023 isn’t as flashy as a linebacker, but it costs $14.5 million for next season ($11.9 million transition tag).
The most practical move would be to try to reach a long-term deal with Wilson, Vander Esch, and/or possibly Schultz (although this requires further discussion), but first pull the trigger to buy time to patch things up with Pollard. ; and that’s probably what the Cowboys intend to do.
