Getty Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots (right)
Coming off the best game he has had this season for New England, in which he totaled 140 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, Ezekiel Elliott said he is feeling good physically. Mentally, too, he has accepted the fact that the Patriots will not be in the postseason this year, but that with Rhamondre Stevenson still out, he will be the focal point of the running game for much of the next month. He’s feeling so good, in fact, that he said on Wednesday he’d like to return to the Patriots next year.
“It’s definitely been a good experience,” Elliott said when meeting with reporters on Wednesday. “I love playing with Rhamondre. I’ve loved this team. I love this city. So I think I’d be open to it.”
Elliott signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots in August after having starred in Dallas for seven seasons, which included three Pro Bowl selections. He has rushed for 497 yards and two touchdowns this year, with 31 catches for 226 yards and another touchdown as a receiver.
The Cowboys let Elliott walk in free agency last spring after his production slipped, but he noted that he had been playing through injury. He is healthy now, he said, and the results show.
“I feel good,” he said. “This is probably the least amount of touches I have had at this point of the season, so I mean, I am really used to a heavier work load. Hopefully, use me up this last month.”
Ezekiel Elliott Has Been ‘Professional’
Given the way the running back market has panned out in recent years, the Patriots surely could get Elliott back on a relatively inexpensive deal if they so chose next year. He is 28, and Spotrac projects his next contract as a one-year deal for $2.7 million.
At the very least, whatever the changes the Patriots undergo in the coming year—quarterback, coach, you name it—the team could probably use some veterans on the roster to keep young players pointed in the right direction. Bill Belichick called Ezekiel Elliott “professional” this week, and that’s something Elliott values.
He wants to be a mentor.
“I think that’s super important,” he said. “You could be a guy who is like, ‘OK, let me just keep all the secrets for myself. That’s just not me, that’s not me at all. And every time I go in that locker room and any time I am talking to a younger player, I am always trying to give them my outlook on any situation, or how I would approach it. I mean, I think it is super-important to pass that along because I’ve had guys who taught me how to be a pro, guys like (ex-Cowboys) Jason Witten, Sean Lee, guys who taught me to be a pro.”
Patriots Will Be Without Rhamondre Stevenson
And if he wants to prove that he is still the Ezekiel Elliott of old, or something close to it, the coming weeks should provide an opportunity. Stevenson remains out, and the weather is turning colder, leaving open the need for New England to run the ball more.
“You get a little weather, it’s cold, the ball is a little harder, it’s a little tougher to throw it,” Elliott said. “So, yeah, I’m excited to play some winter ball in the Northeast. I do feel like, I’m a back that, the more I touch it, the better I’m gonna get. So just looking forward to another week like last.”
That, perhaps, could be a forerunner to another season with the Patriots.
“I wasn’t planning on retiring anyway,” said Elliott. “I’ve got a lot of gas in the tank. Definitely it felt good to have the performance I did last week.”