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Latest On Ezekiel Elliott

August 29th, 2019 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

While it sounds like talks between the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott‘s camp have stalled, there’s still optimism that a deal will get done before the regular season opener. Appearing at a recent banquet, owner Jerry Jones told the crowd that their star running back will be on the field for Week 1.

“We’re missing one, but we’ll have him on the field,” Jones said (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter). “I’m not joking.”

Meanwhile, executive vice president Stephen Jones told ESPN’s Todd Archer that he’s hopeful a deal will get done over the next week (Twitter link). However, Jones did acknowledge that things have been quiet recently, which is something we also heard late last week.

The Cowboys have apparently made an Elliott deal a priority. Both quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout Amari Cooper are also in line for new deals, but both players seem receptive to playing into a contract year.

Let’s check out some more notes out of Dallas…

  • Jay Glazer of The Athletic passes along more optimism from the organization. The reporter notes that the Cowboys have “contended all along that they believe he will be there for Week One against the Giants.” Glazer expects the two sides to agree to a deal that will make Elliott the highest-paid running back in the league.
  • Both sides seem to be holding strong to their initial offers, tweets Clarence Hill Jr. of the Dallas Star-Telegram. Elliott’s side made an initial offer to the organization that was deemed too high, and the organization countered with a lower proposal. Hill implies that neither side has come back to the table with a revised contract offer.
  • Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets that the Cowboys have previously skirted around negotiations with agents by dealing directly with players. The reporter cites an agent who thinks the organization may have unsuccessfully tried this strategy with their extension-worthy trio. “He said in this case the difference is [Elliott] and even Dak and Amari Cooper, they’re not buying it,” Garafolo said. “They’re actually listening to their representation. So he feels like maybe Jerry Jones is starting to get a little frustrated, because some of his old tricks aren’t working in this case.” Circumventing an agent to deal with a represented player would be a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
  • CBS Sports’ Joel Corry suggests a contract structure that would seemingly satisfy both sides. Elliott would sign a six-year contract worth around $100MM, which would set the benchmark at the position for average annual salary. However, the Cowboys wouldn’t be setting the market when it comes to money that’s “fully guaranteed at signing, three year cash flow, first three new years compensation and signing bonus.” Ultimately, Corry pegs a contract that’d be worth between $99MM and $103MM over eight total years (two years remaining plus a six-year extension).
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