Jerry, Stephen Jones comment on Ezekiel Elliott's future with Cowboys
On Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and COO Stephen Jones cleared the air regarding running back Ezekiel Elliott's future with "America's Team."
While both were adamant about wanting Elliott back next season, they also admitted that the two sides have "to talk business" to see if they can make it work.
The business mentioned above surrounds Elliott's contract, which, if not settled, could significantly affect the Cowboys' cap space in 2023.
The Cowboys restructured Elliott's deal ahead of the 2021 season, which the team may be looking to do this offseason again.
The seven-year pro's deal carries a hefty $16.7 million cap hit in 2023. While unlikely, the Cowboys could cut Elliott. However, doing so would cost $11.8 million in dead money and free up only $4.8 million in cap space. Per Spotrac, Elliott has four seasons remaining on a six-year, $90 million contract.
At this point, the only logical path for Elliott to remain a Cowboy is if he and the team rework his deal again. And according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Elliott would be open to doing it.
The Cowboys might be concerned about Elliott's contract, but Stephen Jones didn't seem too worried about the decline of the running back. Jones told reporters he didn't see a drop-off in Elliott's game, despite the statistics showing otherwise.
Elliott had a brutal 2022 campaign, finishing with career lows in rushing attempts (231), yards (876), yards per attempt (3.8) and yards per game (58.4).
Along with Elliott, the Cowboys must decide what to do with free-agent-to-be Tony Pollard. Pollard had a breakout season in 2022, rushing for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season.
Unfortunately, Pollard went down with a high-ankle sprain and broken left fibula sustained against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional-round playoff. While Pollard's broken fibula requires only casting, the running back underwent surgery to correct his high ankle sprain last week. Per ESPN's Todd Archer, Pollard should be at full strength "well before" training camp.
The Cowboys have reportedly considered using the franchise tag on Pollard. Pollard made $965,000 in 2022, the final year of his rookie deal.
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