It's a tough time to try to get paid like an NFL running back. Ezekiel Elliott has been one of the most productive backs in the league since he was drafted fourth overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, but with two years left on rookie deal, Elliott is slated to earn only $3.853 million this season and $9.099 million on the fifth-year option in 2020, guaranteed for injury only.

With the beatings that running back's take, and the fact that Elliott would have led the league in carries for three straight seasons if he were not suspended in 2017, it's no surprise that Zeke wants to get paid. However, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is reporting that “it's not yet been decided whether RB Zeke Elliott will hold out.”

Previously, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, wrote on July 15 that Elliott has “privately said that he will hold out of training camp unless he gets a new contract. Florio also wrote that Elliott, “is believed to be making plans for a trip out of the country” in advance of the team's training camp beginning July 25.

The 23-year-old isn't the only high-end running back to hold out or threaten to hold out in recent years. Le'Veon Bell sitting out his 2018 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Los Angeles Chargers' Melvin Gordon is saying that he won't attend 2019 training camp without a new contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Bell eventually signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets. The Gordon contract dispute is ongoing.

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While Elliott has been the focal point of Dallas' offense since he arrived, the team also has to make decisions about paying quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper. Neither of whom play a position that is being rapidly devalued by the league.

The Los Angles Rams' Todd Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension with the Rams with $45 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. By the time his team reached the Super Bowl, Gurley was hobbled with an arthritic knee, which could lead Dallas to question investing in their own talented young back.