Ezekiel Elliott has been one of the top running backs in football for the past three seasons and wants to be compensated accordingly, but it does not look like he plans to hold out for a new contract — at least not yet.
Elliott showed up for the start of the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason conditioning program on Monday despite speculation that he might stay away while seeking a new deal. He made his arrival known on Instagram.
Ezekiel Elliott and his Cowboys teammates are at The Star today for Phase One of their offseason program. In the first two weeks of the program, activities are limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation pic.twitter.com/VzfJC2WnsW
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 15, 2019
Elliott’s base salary is around $3.8 million for 2019, which is about $10 million less than Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell and David Johnson are making with their teams. It makes sense that the former No. 4 overall pick wants a contract comparable to the ones the top running backs in the NFL have been getting, but he doesn’t exactly have much leverage. The Cowboys hold a team option for Elliott for 2020 and could use the franchise tag on him after that.
Considering he racked up more than 2,000 total yards from scrimmage last year, it goes without saying that Elliott is a crucial part of the Cowboys’ offense. He’s going to get paid eventually, but Dallas has other key players that need new contracts as well. Holding out probably would not accomplish much for Elliott at this point.
