The franchise tag has been around now for 30 seasons as the NFL first implemented the designation in 1993, which was also the start of free agency.
Over the years, teams have used the tag in a variety of ways, but the ultimate goal of the tag is to figure out a way to keep front-line players on the team in the most affordable way.
The Cowboys used the tag once again this week, marking the sixth straight season to tag a player, when they placed the one-year, guaranteed tender on Tony Pollard.
We'll see if Pollard ends up playing on the tag this season or the Cowboys work out a long-term deal. Not all players have actually gone through the season on the tag, but it certainly happens, including this past season with Dalton Schultz, who is now set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Let's look back at the Cowboys' history with the franchise tag over the last 30 years.
Going down memory lane for all 12 times the Cowboys have used the franchise tag, which is now standing on six years in a row.
Flozell Adams (2002): After completing his fourth NFL season, Adams became the first Cowboys player to receive the tag. The former second-round pick played the 2002 season on the $4.9 million tender. The following spring, with new head coach Bill Parcells' blessing, the Cowboys signed Adams to a lucrative five-year extension. He went on to make the Pro Bowl five of the next six years at left tackle.
Ken Hamlin (2008): The Cowboys franchised Hamlin ($4.4 million) after he delivered a Pro Bowl season on a one-year deal in 2007, helping Dallas win a franchise-record tying 13 games. The Cowboys signed Hamlin to a new six-year, $39 million contract a few months after franchising him. He was released in 2010 after recording one interception the first two years of the new deal.
Anthony Spencer (2012): Spencer, one of two Cowboys first-round picks in 2007, played on the one-year, $8.8 million tag in 2012. He delivered a career-high 94 tackles and 11 sacks to make his first and only Pro Bowl.
Anthony Spencer (2013): Spencer became the first Cowboys player to receive the tag in consecutive years. He signed it a week after the Cowboys issued the one-year, $10.6 million tender, but played only one game due to a knee injury that required microfracture surgery. He played only one more season with the Cowboys.
Dez Bryant (2015): This one went right down to the buzzer. After Bryant skipped offseason workouts seeking a long-term deal, he and the Cowboys agreed to a five-year, $70 million contract just before the July 15, 2015 negotiating deadline. Injuries limited him to 22 games over the next two years, and the Cowboys released him after the 2018 season.
DeMarcus Lawrence (2018): Lawrence signed his first franchise tag hours after the Cowboys offered him the one-year, $17.1 million tender. Fresh off a 2017 season in which he posted 14.5 sacks, the most by a Cowboys player since DeMarcus Ware's 15.5 in 2010, Lawrence set out to produce another Pro Bowl season.
DeMarcus Lawrence (2019): Lawrence did just that, making his second career Pro Bowl with 10.5 sacks despite a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Cowboys initially franchised him again ($20.5 million) but both sides worked out a club-record $105 million extension in April 2019.
Dak Prescott (2020): The Cowboys' front office has stated their top offseason priority is re-signing Prescott long term after his career season in 2019. Prescott has said repeatedly over the past year that he wants to be a Cowboy long term. Will a deal get done in the next three weeks? We'll just have to wait and see.
2021 – Dak Prescott; For the second straight year, the Cowboys placed the tag on Dak, but the $37.7 charge only proved to be a placeholder as the club was close to finalizing Dak's new deal. They were able to sign him to a four-year, $160 million contract, preventing him from playing on the tag for a second straight season.
2022 – Dalton Schultz: For the first time in team history, the Cowboys gave the tag to a tight end, as Schultz got the $10.09 million deal for one season. While injuries plagued him early in the year, Schultz still had a productive season, especially down the stretch. He finished with 57 catches for 577 yards and five touchdowns. In the postseason, Schultz scored three touchdowns, the first tight end in team history to have three scores in one postseason.
2023 – Tony Pollard: The Cowboys are in a unique spot at running back this offseason. Their starter, Ezekiel Elliott, wasn't the most productive of the two backs, but he's also expected to count over $16 million on the cap. Pollard, who had a breakout season and made the Pro Bowl, is coming off an injury in the playoff loss that required a surgery. So there's some unknown issues all around the position. But Pollard did enough last year when healthy for the Cowboys to at least give him a shot to carry the ball more. And while $10.1 million is still quite a bit for one player, it's the cheapest of any position on the field, aside from the specialists.
