Getty Former Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott is still looking for a new home.
As evident by his continued availability, there does not appear to be a massive market for former Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott. ESPN’s Kimberley Martin reported that Elliott is pushing for a more lucrative deal, but NFL teams believe the playmaker has “lost a step.”
“So, Zeke he actually is like Ndamukong Suh,” Martin explained during a May 16, 2023 edition of “NFL Live.” “He is prepared to take his time, not as much time though as Ndamukong Suh. Listen, I’ve made calls all morning. Two things are clear: Zeke wants to win and he wants to be patient.
“He knows this is a big decision. However, talking to GMs this morning as well, the market that Zeke wants just may not be there. They think he can be productive but that he’s lost a step.”
Ex-Cowboys RB Coach Skip Peete on Zeke Elliott: ‘You’re Going to Play for $1 Million’
Buccaneers running backs coach Skip Peete hinted that Elliott may be having a hard time moving on from his old $90 million contract with the Cowboys. Pete was Elliott’s running backs coach in Dallas and indicated that the former Pro Bowler is not only headed for a massive paycut but a role reduction as well.
“I think he would be good in any situation, I’m just not sure exactly how the dynamic of explaining to him that, like I told him, I said, ‘You’re gonna play for a million dollars,'” Peete remarked during a May 10 press conference. “And I think he was making like [$12 million]. So, I mean, who’s gonna be the one to tell him that?
“I think that’s part of the reason he’s sitting out there, but if you’re going to play and you’re going to be the second or third guy, that’s kind of what the price is. So, that’s something that that person has to be able to make a decision on if that’s what they want to do.”
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Has Little Desire to Re-Sign Ezekiel Elliott
The longer Elliott remains a free agent there will continue to be speculation about a potential return to Dallas. The Cowboys used the franchise tag on Tony Pollard, signed Ronald Jones and drafted Deuce Vaughn in an attempt to solidify their running back depth chart. Despite Cowboys owner Jerry Jones keeping the rumors going, ESPN’s Todd Archer believes privately Dallas has little desire to re-sign Elliott, even if it is at a drastically reduced rate.
“I think it’s Jerry being nice, and if you really parse what he said, he’s like, ‘Nothing has happened this weekend [that] has changed my mind.’ Well, he’s not really told us what his mind was, so his mind could be, ‘We’re not bringing the guy back,'” Archer noted during a May 1 interview with 105.3 The Fan’s “Shan and RJ.” “So nothing has changed his mind. Look, Zeke should have a job in the NFL. [He] can still be an effective player. I just don’t think he’ll be in Dallas.”
“I think Zeke would have such an oversized position in the locker room to what his role would actually be that it just wouldn’t make the best sense,” Archer added. “And talking to people, they kind of like what Ronald Jones can do, the guy they picked up in free agency. They just added Deuce [Vaughn], so they have some options behind Tony Pollard that it should be workable.”