The Dallas Cowboys on Saturday played their first preseason game of 2019, and they were doing so without Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott has not reported to the team and is officially a training camp holdout as he seeks a new contract. Though Elliott has missed the start of training camp and the first preseason game, the start of the regular season is still about a month away. Team owner Jerry Jones says he is not worried about the running back’s holdout, calling the season a “marathon.”
Jerry Jones is not worried about Ezekiel Elliott’s holdout: “You know that it’s a marathon. It’s a long season. It’s a long career. It goes on all the time. You work on this 12 months a year.” Jones added that they have 6-8 contract negotiations going on at all times
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 11, 2019
Elliott is under contract to make $3.8 million this season and $9.1 million next season. The low salaries make the two-time NFL rushing champion a bargain, which is why he wants to secure more money, especially since running backs tend to wear down faster than players who play other positions.
If the Cowboys’ only issue were signing Elliott, that would be one thing. But they also are weighing how much money they can spend on Elliott considering they also want to sign Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper long term. Jones has previously suggested a great running back was not needed to win a Super Bowl.
