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Ezekiel Elliott isn't a free agent this offseason. The superstar running back is under contract for nearly $8 million with the Dallas Cowboys for 2019.
As the team approaches the NFL's upcoming free agency period, though, Elliott's future is nevertheless a point of concern that Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones feels might be addressed sooner rather than later – and he knows the contract comparison that will inform that discussion with Elliott and his representatives:
“We've got it budgeted that we’re going to pay Zeke a significant contract at some point,” Jones told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “We certainly saw what Gurley got paid and we know that’s probably where it starts, and we’ll go from there.”
Todd Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams last July. Both the annual average and total guaranteed amount of $45 million make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
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As Jones notes, Gurley's new contract should indeed be a precedent off which the Cowboys and Elliott base extension negotiations of their own. Gurley signed his historic deal after three seasons that established him as one of the NFL's most dynamic playmakers.
Elliott, after a sophomore campaign marred by injuries and off-field complications, rebounded last season to lead the league in both rushes and rushing yards, churning out 1,434 yards on the ground via 304 carries. He also had a career-high 77 catches, adding a new element to his game that makes the 23 year old that much more dangerous for defenses to handle.
Needless to say, Eliott will be expecting a major payday, and Dallas seems resigned to giving it to him – perhaps sooner rather than later.
