Trade Analysis: Carolina Cowboys Back at it Again, Land Trade With Florida Freedom
By: James Youness
PUEBLO, Colo. – Carolina Cowboys’ general manager Austin Dillon has to dress up as the Jigsaw character from the movie series “Saw” this fall for Halloween …
… because with all of the transactions he’s made calling the shots for the Richard Childress-owned entity, one can’t help but picture him sitting at his laptop, thinking through some moves before picking up the phone and declaring “I want to play a game.”
Now a player in eight different trades since becoming involved in the league’s first blockbuster swap, acquiring 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen and Mason Taylor in exchange for Joao Ricardo Vieira and Cody Jesus via a draft-day trade with the Texas Rattlers, he hasn’t been afraid of mixing things up by any means.
So, naturally, when the 2023 draft brought more than 80 riders to Fort Worth in the hopes of being welcomed to one of the eight organizations, Dillon had positioned his squad to own both the No. 1 and No. 2 overall draft selections after electing to send Wingson Henrique da Silva to the Kansas City Outlaws in exchange for the Outlaws’ first-round pick.
Outside of the thrilling entertainment the camaraderie-driven league provides, bringing forth more celebrations and smiles than ever before, Dillon is keeping this league fun as it approaches its third season. Unafraid to mix things up while leaning into some risk here and there, he’s already assembled one of the most talented squads in the league. But after seeing his team come up short during the 2023 PBR Teams Championship, he’s shifting gears once again.
Which, when you regularly operate at speeds of 200 mph+ for a living, as the talent spends a good portion of his time competing for Richard Childress Racing within the NASCAR Cup Series circuit …
… it’s no surprise that he’s been involved in both of this winter’s offseason trades.
Including this week’s most recent swap with the Florida Freedom, as the Cowboys opted into acquiring Tate Pollmeier in exchange for Conner Halverson and future considerations.
Between the looming 2024 PBR Teams Expansion Draft, (where teams will be able to protect just three riders exempt from being selected by either of the league’s two new expansion teams) and the 2024 New Rider Draft (where teams will welcome their next class of 5-on-5 rookie talents), it really is becoming a numbers game for front office members around the league.
While most are sitting pat to see how it all plays out, that’s just not in Dillon’s DNA.
Yet, Freedom owner Heath Freeman isn’t backing down from a bit of risk in his own right as well in this deal, as the timing of this trade and overall double-draft timeline presents an extra set of potential complications.
With each squad able to keep up to seven riders on its Protected Roster, with an additional five able to vacate its Reserve Roster, the next part of each puzzle comes in the form of teams coming to terms with each of those 12 riders and then “designating” the rider to either roster, known as an “Endorsement Agreement (EA).”
When a rider feels comfortable about the designation and “accepts” his spot, both the rider and team then sign a “Rider Transaction Form (RTF)” to make it official and the rider is then formally added to the roster.
Ahead of the 2024 season, riders have until March 1 to sign the RTF with their respective teams, which will then tie them to said squad for the upcoming season. While a majority of the tour’s regulars are already locked in for the upcoming slate, there are several guys who have yet to.
And it just so happens that both Halverson and Pollmeier fall into the unsigned bunch.
So, if by chance either of the athletes don’t like where their new prospective teams have them slotted, aren’t keen to coaches/riders or for any other set of personal, professional or other reasons, they have the right not to sign the RTFs and would instead become eligible for the 2024 Expansion Draft, thus able to be selected by either of the league’s new teams.
Should neither of the fresh franchises bite later this spring, both have the opportunity to become Restricted Free Agents (RFA) and can then sign with any of the 10 organizations at that time.
There isn’t anything specifically pointing to either of the young gentlemen opting to go that route at this time, but nonetheless another element which went into the trade.
Looking at Halverson’s 6-for-25 record so far throughout the 2024 UTB season, it’s a fifth-place showing in New York City which represents his best finish on the season. Featuring a rank 90-point conversion after lasting the requisite 8 aboard UTZ BesTex Smokestack in the opening round, the 22-year-old was able to secure his first and only round win of the season so far.
Later teaming up with Wilson in Round 2, he doubled down via an 85.5-point score before bucking off in each of his third and short go opportunities.
Thankfully for Halverson, who currently sits No. 25 overall (which is a welcome sight after finishing the 2023 slate ranked No. 55 and ranked No. 42 in both 2022 and 2021), his best performance came during the first PBR Major of the year, thus earning him a few extra points (89.5 UTB points, to be exact).
The epic 90 undoubtedly proves that the youngster is still capable of achieving high scores during a favorable matchup. But it’s been consistency that’s plagued him lately.
Outside of his 2-for-4 performance inside Madison Square Garden, the Gordon, Nebraska, native has produced just one qualified ride in four separate events (Chicago; Albany, New York; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Tucson, Arizona), with his 14th place showing in Johnstown marking his second-best finish on the year.
Potentially even more concerning, Halverson is currently on the wrong side of a 12-out buckoff streak, now without a ride throughout his last five UTB events.
With his last premier series conversion coming in Chicago on Jan. 12, it’s been more than a month since the Troy Bolton-lookalike has seen the 8.
Just 1-for-3 during his second season with the Cowboys (2023) after posting an 0-for-4 record with the checkered-flag organization during the league’s inaugural season, it was an 82.25-point dance with All Shook Up at the 2023 iteration of Ridge Rider Days where he finally recorded his series-first conversion.
A mere 1-for-7 all-time in the 5-on-5 format (partially due to Carolina having such a stacked roster with the likes of Daylon Swearingen, Cooper Davis, Sage Kimzey, Josh Frost and beyond), he wasn’t able to crack the lineup very regularly, but has a chance to become more of a starter-type for Paulo Crimber and the Florida Freedom in year three.
Perhaps being involved in the most recent PBR Camping World Team Series swap can get him motivated ahead this weekend’s U.S. Border Patrol PBR Jacksonville.
On the other side of the equation, Pollmeier hasn’t competed at a PBR-sanctioned event since getting roughed up early into the 2023 season.
Unfortunately for Pollmeier, who’s spent the past six months ramping up while continuing to recover, he ran into another nasty wreck this past weekend, which ended up in another trip to the hospital.
With injuries coming into play in parts of both his 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Kansas City Outlaws and then-Oklahoma Freedom, the 19-year-old is just 2-for-18 all-time in PBR Camping World Team Series competition, with an 0-for-3 slate last season and a 2-for-15 record during the inaugural go.
Prior to last season’s injury, however, the talented rider turned in a No. 16 season-end ranking during his rookie Unleash The Beast campaign via his 14-for-55 effort. Unable to secure a career-first premier series event title, though producing a stellar seven Top 10 performances (including four Top 5 results: second, third, fifth, fifth), the youngster has flashed in a big way when he’s healthy.
Those circumstances just haven’t presented themselves that often, unfortunately.
It’s always hard comparing apples to oranges, with Halverson having attempted more than 400 PBR-sanctioned events since 2019 and Pollmeier drawing into fewer than 100 outs total. But with Pollmeier collecting $128,624 to Halverson’s $156,740 in comparing lifetime earnings, it’s clear that the 19-year-old has taken advantage of his early-career opportunities at a higher clip than Halverson.
With his 23-year-old brother in Coy Pollmeier also signed to the Freedom last season, albeit 0-for-4 in his limited action, there’s proof in the pudding that the family genes are there. It’ll be up to the younger brother, however, to get back on the recovery wagon and into the ride column for Crimber and company this summer.
Photos courtesy of Bull Stock Media
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