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The Dallas Cowboys want to keep Ezekiel Elliott, but they know very well they have to consider his contract situation and their plans moving forward.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted as much in his recent discussion with the media, noting that while they “always want Zeke” and that “you can’t define what Zeke does for our football team,” the Cowboys will have to make the numbers work.
Elliott has a base salary of $10.9 million and a cap hit of $16.7 million in 2023, which definitely limits the team’s financial flexibility. It is quite the problem since running back Tony Pollard is due for a new contract as well.
“Obviously, we’re probably one of the top teams in the league already with what we pay running backs,” Jones added, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “We have to make sure how we pay attention to this and how we spread it out—and how we divide up the pie. We have to relook at that. We have to look at Zeke and obviously Tony is looking to make more money. So, we have to relook at the whole thing in terms of turning back and what that looks like.”
Ezekiel Elliott’s play has declined last season, and considering Tony Pollard’s emergence, several fans and experts think the team should move on from him.
For what it’s worth, however, Elliott has reportedly shown the willingness to renegotiate his contract and take a pay cut to help the Cowboys navigate the offseason. It’s unknown what the team will do, but free agency will definitely be interesting for the team.