Dallas Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott agree to six-year contract extension

According to sources, the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a six-year extension with Ezekiel Elliott after the fourth-year running back’s lengthy holdout.

It’s finally over. Early Wednesday morning, it was reported by ESPN’s Todd Archer the Dallas Cowboys agree to a contract extension with the NFL’s two-time leading rusher, Ezekiel Elliott. According to an unnamed source, the deal is a six-year extension.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it’s six-year, $90 million extension with approximately $45 million guaranteed. ESPN’s Ed Werder reports the guaranteed monies to actually be at $50 million in the new deal, exceeding Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley by $5 million.

The sum total of Elliott’s current deal in Dallas is now eight-years, $103 million, making him a Cowboy through 2026. Zeke should be able to practice with the team on Wednesday for the first time since minicamp in June.

Elliott still had two years left on his rookie deal prior to his holdout this summer which forced him to miss the entirety of training camp, the preseason, and threatened to extend into the regular season. Zeke is scheduled to make a base salary of $3,8 million this season and just over $9 million in 2020 on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. That according to Sportrac.com.

Although CBS Sports salary cap expert Joel Corry indicates some of the new monies will get allocated over the remainder of Elliott’s rookie contract, thus negating the fifth-year option.

The new money of the contract extension (six-years, $90M) makes Elliott the highest-paid running back in the NFL at an average of $15 million per year, exceeding Gurley’s $14.3 million per season average, those numbers via OverTheCap.com.

But combined with the two years currently remaining on his rookie contract (eight-years, $103M) his annual salary drops to an average $12.8 million per season if the early numbers are correct. That would make Elliott the fourth highest-paid running back in the NFL in terms of annual average salary behind Gurley ($14.3M), the New York Jets’ Le’Veon Bell ($13.1M), and the Arizona Cardinals’ David Johnson. ($13M).

The 24-year old Elliott did attend OTAs and minicamp, which should allow him to get up to speed quickly on any new wrinkles first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has implemented into the existing scheme in Dallas.

Despite his absence, Elliott might actually start against the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon, although his snaps will likely be limited. Fourth-round rookie running back Tony Pollard figures to still have a prominent role in the offense with Zeke working his way back into game shape.

Elliott led the NFL in rushing last season, recording 1,434 yards and six touchdowns off a league-leading 304 carries. He also posted a career-high 77 receptions for 567 yards and three more scores in 2018.

The fourth overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 1,631 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns as a rookie, helping to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 record including an 11-game winning streak, the NFC East title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Cowboys have posted season-ending winning-records in each of the three years Elliott has been in the backfield.