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Last month, Ezekiel Elliott stirred the football world into a frenzy when he announced his intention to sit out the entire season if the Cowboys declined to give him a new contract, and while it appeared the two parties had come to an agreement a couple of weeks ago, they continued to clash thanks in no small part to the stubbornness of Jerry Jones.
However, Elliott would ultimately prevail in his quest for a new deal, and on Wednesday morning, he became the highest-paid running back in the history of the NFL after securing a six-year, $90 million deal ($50 million of which is guaranteed assuming he can stay out of trouble).
The #Cowboys & RB Ezekiel Elliott agree on a 6-year, $90M extension that makes him the highest-paid RB in the NFL, sources tell me and @SlaterNFL. Roughly half guaranteed. In all, it's $103M over 8 years—the 1st Cowboy to eclipse $100M in total value, the richest RB contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 4, 2019
Cowboys fans and fantasy football owners everywhere breathed a collective sigh of relief after the deal was announced but it appears no one was more thrilled than Elliott’s father Stacy, who appeared on Get Up shortly after the terms were revealed and got fairly emotional while reacting to his son’s new contract.
Here’s what he had to say via For The Win:
“Me and his mom, we just like….we just can’t even explain. I just keep thinking to myself that I’m proud to be Ezekiel’s father. I thank Mr. Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys for believing in him and giving him an opportunity to be the highest-paid ever in the history of the NFL. I thank Rocky Arceneaux and their team, Ezekiel’s team, Frank Salzano and all of them.
And above all, I’m just so proud of Ezekiel.”
I would be too.