Throughout Ezekiel Elliott's holdout with the Dallas Cowboys, we have yet to hear from the All-Pro running back. In contrast, we have constantly heard from Jerry Jones on the matter.
Before the Cowboys preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers, Jones said that Elliott's holdout is part of the “ongoingness” of the NFL. The Cowboys billionaire owner went on 105.3 The Fan to speak about the current state of the holdout.
“You know that it’s a marathon,” Jones said before the Cowboys-49ers game, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com (per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “It’s a long season. It’s a long career. And so that you don’t let a week or a month, you don’t let any of that bother you. It goes on all the time.”
The Cowboys were taken aback when Elliott decided to holdout at the beginning of training camp. We are nearing the three-week mark since Elliott has been away from the team, “working out” in Cabo.
Article Continues BelowThe two-time Pro Bowler is entering the second-to-last year of his rookie contract. Elliott is due to make just $3.8 million in 2019 and nearly $9.1 million in 2020.
The Cowboys premier running back is looking for a deal that makes him the highest-paid rusher in the league. At the same time, Dallas would rather give him a deal closer to Le'Veon Bell's contract rather than Todd Gurley's. Bell is making nearly $13.13 million per season while Gurley is set to get nearly $14.4 million each season.
Aside from Elliott, the Cowboys also are in need of extending Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. Dallas may feel inclined to pay both of them before Elliott due to them being in the last year of their current deals.