Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys before the NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 15, 2017 in Arlington, Texas.
The Dallas Cowboys are in contract negotiations with running back Ezekiel Elliott heading deep into the NFL preseason. The newest offer from the team would make Elliott the second-highest paid running back in the league, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder.
“Sources: The most recent offer in negotiations between holdout Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys came from the team. Elliott has been offered a contract making him one of the NFL’s 2 highest-paid RB. That would suggest team offering more than LeVeon Bell and less than Todd Gurley.”
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Highest-Paid Running Backs
If this report holds true and the offer is accepted, Ezekiel Elliott would make more money than New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell, who currently holds the number-two spot on the list of top-paid running backs. Elliott is currently under a rookie contract.
Despite an offer to be paid as the NFL’s second-highest-paid running back, Elliott was earlier reported to have hopes of eclipsing Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley’s four-year, $57.5M deal, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
On Ezekiel Elliott and the #Cowboys, I’m told the extension Elliott is looking for would exceed Todd Gurley’s four-year $57.5 million deal. Which means Dallas could eventually have 3 players (including QB Dak Prescott & WR Amari Cooper) among the top 3 salaries at their position.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Case to Be Number One
Entering his fourth season in the NFL, Elliott has rushed for over 4,000 yards since 2016. In his rookie season, he tallied 15 rushing touchdowns.
There is no doubt that offensive coordinator Kellen Moore wants to keep Elliott as the centerpiece of the offense. He will utilize quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper as defenses begin to focus their attention on Elliott. This will improve their ability to make plays in the red zone and on other big conversions.
If the offensive line could remain healthy this season, Elliott would have a great shot to improve upon the numbers he accrued in 2018. Last year, Elliott made a huge improvement to his skillset as a pass-catcher. Prescott looked to him as a safety blanket to pick up yards when down-field throws were impossible. If Elliott didn’t remain in the backfield for pass protection, he would give Prescott an easy target for dump-offs.
Moore would continue to give Elliott the ball in as many creative ways as possible. The offense sounds lethal with just the combination of Zeke and Dak. However, defenses cannot fall in love with stacking-the-box when the Cowboys hold a dynamic receiver like Cooper, who runs crisp routes and has game-breaking ability.
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Cowboys Extend Massive Contract Offer to Ezekiel Elliott [Report]