The Ezekiel Elliott holdout came as a surprise to many, including apparently the Dallas Cowboys front office. Now that the August 6th deadline has passed, a date that was believed to be significant as an indication of whether or not Zeke would be willing to miss games this season, it appears that it could go on well into the 2019 regular season. That story line is one of many distractions that the Dallas Cowboys, a team poised to take the next step towards a championship but with a history of disappointing fans, has to contend with for the 2019 season.
Regarding the Ezekiel Elliott holdout, there are two conflicting opinions shared by most fans and analyst. The first is that the Dallas Cowboys need to pay Ezekiel Elliott and pay him now. Despite having 2 years left on his rookie contract when the 5th year option is included, he has earned a pay raise with his on field production. He has led the league in touches and rushing yards since he was drafted despite not playing in 8 games over his three year career. Running back is a position is known to have a short shelf life in the NFL and the current CBA (collective bargaining agreement) puts elite running backs at a serious disadvantage. If a running back is drafted in the 1st round, they have to wait up to 7 years to reach free agency and their current teams can run them into the ground until their bodies break down then cut ties with them at any point prior to that. Running backs around the league are aware of this and have united to try to pro-actively bring about change. Le’Veon Bell and Melvin Gordon are great examples as well as Todd Gurley who set a precedent when the Rams extended him early which is what Zeke would like also. Elliott also has significant leverage in that he has been referred to as “the straw that stirs the drink” for the Dallas Cowboys and with Jason Garrett on a one year deal, the window for a championship is now.
Yet there is another side to the argument that makes a compelling case. That is the group that believes the Cowboys should hold firm and not extend Elliott regardless of the holdout. Jason Garrett is on a one year deal as I mentioned earlier, if the Cowboys struggle this year a coaching change is inevitable and potentially significant roster changes could be forthcoming. The Dallas Cowboys have previously made the mistake of signing bad contracts that have limited their cap flexibility in the past and they are hoping to learn from those mistakes. Despite a rising salary cap and an expiring CBA that is sure to change significantly when renegotiated, there is still only so much money to go around. The Cowboys have invested heavily in their offensive line, they have a franchise QB in Dak Prescott and WR#1 in Amari Cooper who only have one year left on their deals, and then their are other players such as Byron Jones, Jaylon Smith, La’el Collins, Maliek Collins, and Anthony Brown who are due for new deals. The Dallas Cowboys have to consider the future. In addition, Ezekiel Elliott has had a history of off the field indiscretions and he did also notoriously quit on a play in a blowout loss to the Bronco’s in 2017. Those things leave a sour taste in the mouths of many fans and also should resonate with ownership as legitimate reasons to hold off on investing long term in a position where assets deteriorate quickly. Zeke may be the elite of the elite at his position, but the production per dollar for the highest paid RB compared to a rookie running back makes paying top dollar there a poor allocation of salary cap money.
Ezekiel Elliott is not the only one trying to negotiate a new contract. Both Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper are due for new deals as well. Their contracts expire sooner than Zeke’s but their presence at training camp has removed them from the spotlight to a degree. The quarterback is the most important position and therefore the highest paid but there remains a strong contingent of fans and media members who do not believe Dak is worth the big contract. Regardless, replacing a starting caliber quarterback has proven to be far more difficult than any other position so like it or not Dak is going to get paid and paid well. Unfortunately the longer the Cowboys wait to sign Prescott the higher the cost will be since other QB’s are resetting the QB market. Dak Presoctt and his agents seem to be well aware of this and may be delaying a deal in order to get as much as possible. That could be risky if the Cowboys start the season without Zeke and Dak struggles but what if he plays really well?
As far as Amari Cooper is concerned, the Cowboys traded a first round pick for him and his acquisition sparked a playoff run for the Cowboys. The expectation is that Cooper is going to be paid as well but that story has been on the back burner. That is not surprising considering that Cooper is happy to play out his current one year deal which is significantly higher than both Dak and Zeke and Amari is a quiet guy to begin with. But, what if he is also biding his time while the WR market gets reset in order to maximize his value? What if he is perfectly happy to hit free agency at the end of the season and really strike it rich? The Cowboys have the franchise tag available to them but they can only use it on one player. If Dak’s or Zeke’s deal or neither of those deals gets done, Amari Cooper will be laughing his way to the bank. On the flip side, Cooper made a huge impact last year but has only played 9 regular season games as a Dallas Cowboy. His numbers were very good but were also inflated by 2 games against the Redskins and Eagles where frankly the secondary play was abysmal. What if Amari struggles to start the season and so do the Cowboys? If that were to happen the Dallas Cowboys would have all the leverage and may even reconsider extending him at all. They can cut their losses and receive a compensatory draft pick that Jason Garrett’s successor can use at his discretion.
An after thought in all this is the other names that the Cowboys have to consider. Recent deals that C.J Mosley and Bobby Wagner have signed completely reset the market for interior LB’s and Jaylon Smith is due to become and RFA (Restricted Free Agent) after this season. Bryon Jones is also on the last year of his deal and the CB market is due for a shake up. Anthony Brown, Maliek Collins, and La’el Collins are all playing on the last year of their deals. The Cowboys can’t keep them all but how many are they willing and able to keep? Especially if they end up paying max contracts to Elliott, Prescott, and Cooper.
It appears as though the Dallas Cowboys front office are willing to be patient this time around. Jerry Jones wants a championship and he feels that this team is on the verge of reaching that goal. Jason Garrett has not been extended so it appears as though the Cowboys have their doubts that he is the man that can get the job done. This year is Garrett’s last chance. It is not the last chance for Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys front office however and they intend to play hardball in negotiating contracts for their young stars. Jerry Jones is not willing to go all in for 2019 or at least it appears that way with how the contract talks are going. Comments from the Jones’s about not needing a league leading rusher to win a Super Bowl, being willing to let Dak, Zeke, and Amari play on “prove it” deals, and encouraging “team friendly” deals in order to win a championships are all classic backhanded statements with the intention of turning public opinion in the Cowboys favor. Unfortunately those type of comments do not sit well with the players and furthermore cause distractions for the rest of team who consistently have to answer questions about the topic in the Dallas Cowboys media circus.
The on the field product will ultimately determine how this situation plays out. If the Dallas Cowboys win games, all the contract talk will become secondary and everybody will be happy. If they go out and start losing, this thing could spiral out of control and sure enough somebody will say something out of frustration and it will snowball from there. Hopefully one of these deals gets done before the season starts and with that the rest of the domino’s fall in place. Hopefully, whether Zeke is there or not, the Cowboys win games and the goal of winning a Super Bowl becomes the priority for the 2019 season. On a personal note, If the Cowboys can accomplish that goal, this Dallas Cowboy fan does not care who gets paid, how much money, or even for what team.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode