Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott continues his holdout, and as the team prepares for the upcoming season without one of its star players, owner Jerry Jones has optimism about a deal getting done at some point, albeit with some stipulations:

“Because of CBA rules that [Jones] called kind of sloppy, he does not yet see an end to this holdout. He even made a quick comment that it could be months into the season,” said NFL insider Ian Rapoport of Jones’ comments.

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Reports from both sides indicate a deal is likely to happen at some point, with Jones noting he always manages to get deals done. However, the Cowboys seem to want to operate on their own rules, and while Jones and the team have spoken highly about Elliott and his skills, they also mentioned wanting to fit his eventual extension in with their own plans as a team.

Whether or not Elliott rejoins the team in time for the regular season is unknown, but should the team start playing without him, it would hurt. While Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper have formed a strong bond and helped carry the Cowboys' offense last season, having Elliott not with the team — both in the running and passing game — would weaken their attack.

Allowing Elliot to sit for so long would hurt the Cowboys' chances of winning, even if it doesn’t hurt their wallets.