Questions worth asking about reported Ezekiel Elliott offer

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is still holding out for a new deal. That may all be about to change though according to reports, or will it?

The NFL is a very fickle league. One minute a player or a team might say that they want to remain in cahoots with the other party for the duration of that player’s career, while in the next minute either party may be holding out, requesting a trade, or trying to trade that player. The Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott are obviously not immune to this situation.

While most revert to the cliche of it’s a business, the best way to describe the occurrences in this league is simply as fickle. That is exactly what is occurring in Jerry’s World though.

Both parties have been adamant in the past that they hope to remain with each other for the duration of Zeke’s time in the league, but now we have this game of cat and mouse. While there is no disagreement with the Cowboys’ approach from this direction, the rhetoric, false promises, and smiling faces that are put on from both sides can sometimes be a bit much to take. That may all be coming to a head though, as we now have what seems like the beginning of the end of this holdout fiasco.

ESPN reporter Ed Werder reported earlier on Thursday that the Cowboys have made an updated offer to the elite running back. The reported offer is said to be one that will make him the second-highest-paid running back in the league, only coming in behind the deal that Todd Gurley received. Here is the exact tweet itself, in case you have been renting under a rock for the last day or so.

While this may come as a shock to most, it shouldn’t to everyone, and especially not here as they would eventually have to do something to start moving the needle one way or another. There are a few questions worth asking though, or at least thoughts worth pondering upon.

The first of these thoughts is solely based on Elliott’s past. Would there be or are there conditions written into this potential offer? The specific conditions referenced here would be those that protect the Dallas Cowboys.

If Elliott finds himself in more hot water off the field, does it help to save the organization in some way? Not that you would want to punish Zeke at all, especially since you would rather have him on the field as much as you can to help the team win, but that could possibly help to prevent any further snafus off the field from one of if not the league’s top runners. At the very least it wouldn’t limit the Cowboys’ options in the event of such an occurrence.

The second thought is based on Ezekiel Elliott’s present. Would his ego allow him to take this potential offer?

What this means is that although it is a very lucrative sounding offer, would Elliott allow himself to take a deal that wouldn’t put him at the top of running back pyramid for pay, thus resetting the market? This is a very interesting question and one that must be asked as well.

Lastly, the final thought is all about Elliott’s future. Would this potential deal hinder the Cowboys in any way from getting deals done with their other core players that are in line to be rewarded? This thought mainly revolves around Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and Byron Jones.

While Prescott has seemingly been in negotiations for months now, Cooper seems fine with letting things play out. When it comes to Byron Jones and although I’m not sure if they should offer him a lucrative new deal based on his lack of interceptions and forced turnovers, he too is in line for a lucrative payday whenever he begins discussions with whatever team will be willing to pay him. This is about Elliott’s future because the Cowboys may not be as good if they have to let core members walk due to lack of finances.

Those are the main thoughts that come to mind when thinking about this recent report. While the Cowboys need Elliott to be the best possible version of themselves this season, do they need him enough to handicap themselves if that were the case? While the answer is most likely a resounding yes, the scenario is still worth questioning.

Whether the questions surround the conditions of his deal if Ezekiel Elliott is suspended again, whether they be with his contract if he wants to be the highest-paid runner in the league, or if they are focused on the total payroll in general because paying him may not allow you to take care of everyone else who needs to be taken care of; they all could turn into bad situations for the Dallas Cowboys organization. That is why these are thoughts worth pondering and questions worth asking about a potential deal.