Since the Dallas Cowboys’ season ended at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, one of the big questions facing the team has been the future of running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott has been one of the faces of the franchise since he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2016. But during the 2022 season, he took a backseat to Tony Pollard in the Cowboys’ rushing attack.
Considering Elliott is in the middle of a massive, six-year contract worth $90 million, quite a few NFL analysts have speculated that the Cowboys will part ways with Elliott.
The man in charge of the team’s payroll has now weighed in.
According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, team owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen Jones have both said publicly that they want Elliott back on the Cowboy roster in 2023. Watkins reported that the younger Jones said he didn’t see a dropoff in Elliott’s performance last season.
“Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones each said they want Zeke Elliott back,” Watkins tweeted. “Stephen Jones said he didn’t see a drop off with Elliott.”
Elliott rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games in 2022 — the first time in his seven-year career he hasn’t reached at least 900 yards. Pollard rushed for 1,007 yards and scored 12 times. Pollard is set to become a free agent during the offseason.
The Cowboys have an out in Elliott’s contract that would allow the team to release him at a cost of $11.8 million in dead cap money. That’s far less than the $30 million-plus Elliott is slated to count against the cap across the next two seasons.
It sounds, however, like Jones wants to keep Elliott in Dallas. The feeling appears to be mutual. Elliott recently told the Dallas Morning News that he would be willing to take a pay cut in order to remain with the franchise.
Whether that actually comes to fruition, and whether he will be playing alongside Pollard again in 2023, remains to be seen.
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Publish Date:2023-02-02 04:20:41
