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Ezekiel Elliott, who’s in his fourth week of a holdout from the Dallas Cowboys as he looks for a new contract, now has the ball in his court to end the drama that’s been surrounding the situation all training camp. Although the running back has been away from the team and training in Cabo, Ed Werder of ESPN tweeted out that the iconic franchise has officially extended an offer to him that would make Zeke one of the two highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
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.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 22, 2019
For those wondering, Le’Veon Bell signed with the New York Jets for four years and $52.5 million with $35 guaranteed this offseason, while Todd Gurley re-upped with the L.A. Rams last offseason for four years and $60 million, with $45 million guaranteed, so Ezekiel Elliott could get his wish by becoming one of the highest-paid at his position, per Werder.
The longtime reporter, Werder, also added that signing Elliott remains the “top priority” of the Cowboys, even after the team just extended linebacker Jaylon Smith the other day, which caused team owner Jerry Jones to say at the press conference that there’s “less pie left” when asked about what it means for Elliott. Obviously, it was a stern message to the All-Pro runner.
Signing Elliott is highest priority. Paying less than Gurley and more than Bell seems a reasonable compromise with Elliott under contract two more seasons. https://t.co/PvoXDP0sP7
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 22, 2019
Unfortunately, as of now, we don’t have the exact figures that the Cowboys reportedly offered to Ezekiel Elliott, but, hopefully, we’ll get further details soon.
The news follows a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington earlier today that stated the team and the star running back were on the cusp of getting a deal done, as Darlington said on Get Up.
“From what I understand this deal is getting done,” Darlington said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I was speaking with a source who has been nails on this since the beginning.”
It’s been a tumultuous offseason for Ezekiel Elliott, and this extension would finally put an end to the charade. Whether it was shoving a security guard to the ground a few months ago at a music festival, getting into a back and forth with Jerry Jones over a minor joke made a couple days ago, or reportedly threatening to sit out the season if he didn’t get a new deal, let’s hope this thing gets done and both sides are happy.