Ezekiel Elliott Contract Predictions
By Sean Facey
Reports have surfaced that the Cowboys have finally offered Ezekiel Elliott a contract that would make him the second-highest paid running back in all of football.
However, the Cowboys have also made it abundantly clear that they're unwilling to give him a record deal. With all of that in mind, it's time to predict some terms of a possible contract.
Ezekiel Elliott AAV
Considering Dallas won't top the behemoth deal given to Todd Gurley by the Los Angeles Rams, the contract will likely have an average annual value of around $13.75 million. That is by no means cheap, but it would certainly be a reasonable pay day for Elliott's services.
Sources: The most recent offer in negotiations between holdout Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys came from the team. Elliott has been offered a contract making him one of the NFL’s 2 highest-paid RB. That would suggest team offering more than LeVeon Bell and less than Todd Gurley.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 22, 2019
After all, he's led the league in rushing yards two times in his three seasons in the NFL. As a strong rusher with some decent catching ability that still lags behind the likes of Gurley, that deal would be plenty fair for both parties.
Ezekiel Elliott Guaranteed Money
Again, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys won't give Elliott the largest deal for a running back ever. It seems safe to say that the deal will be worth around $40 million in total guaranteed money.
Ezekiel Elliott is in Cabo training as he works out a new contract with the #Cowboys, and ? isn’t stopping him.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) August 22, 2019
Not at all.
[via @AllianceSports] pic.twitter.com/Aj1AnUkiPW
That would put him well ahead of New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell, but still a good chunk shy of the record deal for Gurley. Again, that would certainly be a reasonable agreement for both sides, especially since Elliott's previous contract has yet to expire.
Considering his overall performance from the last three years has fallen somewhere in between the likes of Bell and Gurley, it's safe to say that that's where his new deal will fall, too.