Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Cowboys Free Agents' Projected Contracts

With free agency just a few days away, the Dallas Cowboys are running out of time to renew the contracts of their own expiring contracts before they hit the open market.

At this point, that's probably the plan for most of them. While it doesn't rule out certain players from returning to The Star, it does mean that they could see their price tag go up depending on the market.

With the salary cap going up at a record rate teams are going to have more money than expected to spend and it will certainly mean some free agents can expect more money than they were just a few weeks ago.

That could be significant for the Cowboys as they have a handful of well-known free agents who are about to hit the open market. Here, we'll take a look at a few of their biggest names and what kind of contract they might be looking for from Dallas or another team.

OT Tyron Smith

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DALLAS, TX - JANUARY 14: Tyron Smith #77 of the Dallas Cowboys lines up during an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Tyron Smith is a bit of a complicated free agent. On one hand, he is a consistent performer at one of the league's hardest-to-fill positions. He was ranked fourth by PFF among all tackles in the league.

On the other hand, he's only been dominant when he's been on the field which has been a pretty serious caveat throughout the most recent years of his career.

The 33-year-old hasn't played more than 13 games in a season since 2015 with injuries to his neck, back and ankle cropping up just about every seasons since 2018. It doesn't seem to have impacted his play on the field just yet, but Father Time comes for everyone and time is not on his side.

However, Smith can probably still expect a healthy payday on the open market. Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reported that the two sides are "drastically apart" in the financial framework for a new contract. Gehlken noted that Smith is expected to move in a different direction.

Spotrac projects a one-year, $7.4 million contract for the veteran. However, if that was the case, it's hard to believe the Cowboys wouldn't be agreeable to that. He has his availability issues but that's an incredibly reasonable price for a good left tackle.

It's hard to believe that Smith wouldn't at least be able to get the two-year, $20 million contract that Duane Brown got with the Jets in 2022. He was 36 years old at the time of signing.

Projected Contract: Two years, $22 million. $18 million guaranteed.

RB Tony Pollard

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 14: Tony Pollard #20 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball during an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Tony Pollard is the poster child for the downside of the franchise tag for players. Coming off a season in 2023 where the former Memphis Tiger had 1,378 total yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per touch, he could have likely earned a multi-year extension that made him a well-compensated running back for the next few seasons.

Instead, he played on a one-year, $10.1 million franchise tag last season and deflated his value with a disappointing season. Pollard lacked his usual explosiveness in a year where he had 1,316 total yards, but averaged just 4.3 yards per touch.

Pollard looked much more plodding in 2023 and is now set to enter free agency on the brink of 27.

None of it is good for a running back who is looking at joining a market that could also have Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry.

Spotrac projects that Pollard will be worth a two-year, $13.1 million that would make him the eighth-highest-paid back in the league. Given Pollard's precipitous decline this season and the depth of this running back class, it's much more likely that he winds up on a one-year "prove it" contract.

That might even happen in Dallas where the infrastructure is there for him to have a bounce-back season if he can recapture his burst.

Projected Contract: One year, $4.5 million. $4.5 million guaranteed.

CB Stephon Gilmore

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Stephon Gilmore #21 of the Dallas Cowboys lines up during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Stephon Gilmore put together a solid campaign for the Cowboys with two interceptions and 13 pass breakups at 33 years old. Todd Archer of ESPN reported that Dallas would "like him to return" and there is mutual interest.

However, it's his price point that will ultimately decide if he winds back up with the Cowboys.

Spotrac projects that Gilmore could fetch a one-year, $11.2 million contract on the open market.

Of all the projections that have been highlighted here, this one seems to be the most likely to be spot-on. Gilmore has continued to play at a high level. While his age might keep him from getting a long-term contract, it would be hard to make the argument he deserves less money.

Gilmore has played in every game over the last two seasons so his advanced age should be less of a concern on a one-year contract.

It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys are willing to give up this much money to bring him back when DaRon Bland had such a good season and Trevon Diggs should return from the knee injury that ended his season early.

Projected Contract: One-year, $11.2 million. $10 million guaranteed.