Ezekiel Elliott has yet to report to the Dallas Cowboys as he seeks a new contract, and team owner Jerry Jones has maintained all offseason that he is not overly concerned about the situation. But the latest remark Jones made about the star running back apparently did not sit well with him.
After rookie Tony Pollard rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown on just five carries in the Cowboys’ preseason game Saturday night, Jones joked with reporters by saying, “Zeke who?” On Monday, Elliott’s agent Rocky Arceneaux said both he and Elliott found the quip “disrespectful.”
It drew a few laughs but neither @EzekielElliott nor agent Rocky Arceneaux found @Cowboys Jerry Jones' quip "Zeke who?" as amusing. Arceneaux: "I didn't think it was funny and neither did Zeke – we actually thought it was disrespectful."
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 19, 2019
Jones was obviously joking, and he later said he is excited about the way Pollard might be able to “complement” Elliott but knows Zeke cannot be replaced. Still, you can understand why it irked Elliott given the current state of negotiations between him and the Cowboys, which ESPN’s Chris Mortensen says is inactive.
Elliott is still training in Cabo San Lucas at a "great facility" during his contract holdout. No real activity yet on negotiations.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 19, 2019
Jones is known for shelling out big contracts to his star players, but this is not the first time he has indicated he is going to play hardball with Elliott. We’ll see if that continues as Week 1 draws nearer.
