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In 2019, the Dallas Cowboys affirmed their faith in Ezekiel Elliott when they signed the star running back to a six-year contract worth upwards of $90 million prior to the start of the season.
Elliott had certainly done what he could to secure that massive bag over the course of his first three seasons in Dallas.
During that span, he led the NFL in rushing two times (including his rookie campaign) and was selected to the Pro Bowl on the same number of occasions while establishing himself as one of the NFL’s most formidable rushing threats.
However, history has shown there are plenty of risks that come with opting to give an NFL RB a lengthy deal based on how quickly they can drop off thanks to the wear and tear that comes with playing in the league—and based on what’s transpired over the past couple of years, it appears the Cowboys are less than thrilled with how things have panned out.
Elliott recorded a career-low 846 yards on the ground last season (his 3.8 yards-per-carry was also the worst average he’s ever posted), and you didn’t need to be a football expert to notice he’d lost some of the explosiveness that had previously made him a nightmare for defending teams.
The RB admitted his future was fairly murky after Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs, but we got a clearer idea of what it may look like earlier this month after learning the franchise has reportedly told him he needs to take a pay cut in order to avoid the release that would give them more salary cap space to work with.
It appears Elliott would be willing to cut a deal to remain with the only NFL team he’s ever played for, and it doesn’t look like he has a ton of leverage based on a report that was published in The Athletic earlier this week.
Cowboys beat writer Bob Sturm says he spoke with multiple analysts and scouts he said have come to the same consensus, as the belief is “he has very little left in his legs and the word is out,” which would make it difficult for Dallas to trade him or for Elliott to convince another franchise to take a chance on him.
I guess we’ll just have to see how things pan out from here.