Getty The Cowboys have an out in running back Ezekiel Elliott's deal after the 2022 season.
Despite plenty of speculation about his future, Ezekiel Elliott will be back with the Dallas Cowboys for the 2022 season, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The NFL insider noted that the Cowboys appreciate Elliott’s “work ethic” and are optimistic about the running back’s ability when he is back at full strength.
“One team that doesn’t have a quarterback question, finally it’s Super Bowl Sunday and we don’t have to talk about the Cowboys,” Pelissero said during a February 13 report. “Dak Prescott is healthy, he’s got a contract extension, but they’ve got some other big decisions that they’ve gotta make. I am told Ezekiel Elliott will be back for 2022. He dealt with that PCL injury last year. They thought he played really well when he was healthy, they appreciate the work ethic.”
Elliott, 26, is slated to have a $12.4 million salary next season accompanied with an $18.2 million cap hit, per Spotrac. Releasing Elliott this offseason would not offer the Cowboys much cap relief, but his deal does have an out for the team in 2023. We can expect the questions about Elliott’s long-term fit to continue given his six-year, $90 million contract, which runs through the 2026 season.
Elliott is expected to enter the 2022 season recovered from the tear in his posterior cruciate ligament. During his end-of-season press conference on January 19, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Elliott would not need surgery.
“Time away, and he’ll heal. He’ll be ready to go next year,” McCarthy told reporters. “I think he’ll definitely recover 100% and be back.”
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The Cowboys Are ‘Up in the Air’ on Keeping Cooper: Report
The @NFLGameDay Notebook with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: #Bucs want Tom Brady back; Tampa will swing big if Brady isn’t back; Zeke Elliott will be back for Dallas; The latest on Russell Wilson; #Raiders plan to commit to Carr… & #Packers want to do so for Aaron Rodgers.
Things are far less certain for wide receiver Amari Cooper heading into the offseason. Pelissero said in the same February 13 report that the Cowboys are “up in the air” about retaining Cooper as they look to re-sign free agent wide receiver Michael Gallup.
“Big priority for Dallas: re-sign Michael Gallup,” Pelissero said. “Hard to do that if they’ve got Amari Cooper taking up $20 million on the cap.”
Cooper, 27, still has three years remaining on his five-year, $100 million contract, which will pay him $20 million annually through 2024. The Cowboys have an out in Cooper’s deal that allows them to release the receiver this offseason to save significant cap space. Dallas 105.3 the Fan’s Bobby Belt reported on February 4 that “things are headed” toward Cooper’s being a cap casualty.
Stephen Jones on Cooper: ‘If You’re Gonna Pay Somebody a Lot of Money, You Want Them to Be the Best’
Cowboys Vice President Stephen Jones’ comments during the Senior Bowl week did not do much to quash rumors about Cooper’s future. Jones alluded to the Cowboys wanting more production from Cooper, given his lucrative deal.
“Well, it’s sometimes not all on the receiver, too,” Jones told reporters on February 2. “It’s scheme, it’s getting the receiver the ball, the touches, the targets that he needs. But if you’re gonna pay somebody a lot of money, you want them to be the best at what they do.
“Whether that’s catching, whether that’s yards, whether that’s receptions, whether that’s touchdowns. Whether that’s throwing touchdown passes, winning football games, if you’re a quarterback. Whether it’s a running back, if you’re getting your touches and you’re scoring touchdowns and you’re running for yards, I mean all those things.
“If you’re a pass rusher, you want to be getting pressure and making plays, all those things relate to how a guy’s paid. And once you pay that player a lot of money, then with that comes high expectations. And they know that, these players know that, they compete at the highest levels.”