Zeke gets paid: A Philadelphia writer comments ...
>> 5 thoughts after Cowboys make Zeke Elliott top-paid RB in NFL
Dave Zangaro
NBC Sports Philadelphia
September 04, 2019
nbcsports.com
After weeks of it looking like Ezekiel Elliott might miss the beginning of the season, the Cowboys finally broke down. Jerry Jones just gave Elliott a six-year extension, reportedly worth $90 million, with $50 million guaranteed. He’s now the top-paid running back in the NFL.
Elliott still had two years left on his contract, so he’s now under contract for the next eight seasons — through 2026!
We’ll look at the long-term ramifications of paying a running back this much money, but for now, the Cowboys have found a way to keep one of their best players — and one of the best players in the league — happy right before the start of the season.
1. Paying a running back $100 million is certainly risky, especially when the Cowboys are going to have to give out another $100 million to the guy who hands him the ball. But we’ll get to that in a second. The question here: Is Zeke worth this much money? It’s hard to find an answer. It’s clear he’s special player. He has over 5,000 yards from scrimmage in his first two years (just 11 players in NFL history had more than him at this point in his career). But Elliott plays a position that has become devalued in many ways in the modern NFL. The drop-off in play and production from a player getting paid mega money to a guy getting paid peanuts isn’t as drastic as at other positions.
It’s also fair to wonder if the Cowboys have to now change the way they use him. Since Elliott came in the league, he has 1,003 touches, the most in the NFL during that span. He has more touches than Todd Gurley in five fewer games. And while there’s a chance Elliott remains healthy and productive during the span of this contract, just look at the situation the Rams are in with Gurley. Elliott will be 32 when this extension runs out.
2. Maybe this is a good thing for the Eagles long-term, watching the Cowboys dump all this money into a running back. But for now, Dallas is a much better team with Elliott. Much better. Elliott has played four games against the Eagles in his career. He’s averaged 4.82 yards per carry and 167.1 total yards per game. Elliott has 668 scrimmage yards in four games against the Eagles (all four wins). So maybe Eagles fans can celebrate hoping that he breaks down one day while he’s still under this massive contract, but the Eagles have to beat the Cowboys over the next couple years to help themselves win the division. This won’t help. He really is a great player.
3. This offseason, the Cowboys have now paid Elliott, Jaylon Smith, La’el Collins and still have Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper left. That’s a ton of money going to five players. I’m a little surprised they didn’t try to get Dak’s deal done first, but they’ve got to do it with just one year left on his deal and on Cooper’s. The Eagles have been able to find ways to extend their own players over recent years without getting hurt by the salary cap. The salary cap will keep rising, so that helps, but this is a lot of money to fit in.
4. It does make you think just how cheap the Eagles’ improved running back room is this year, though. While Elliott cashed in, the Eagles have their four running backs (Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement) under contract this season for $4.195 million, with a cap hit of just $4,977,921. That’s a cheaper cap hit than 10 Eagles have by themselves. And if Sanders ends up being good, they’ll have a good running back on the cheap for the next four years. The biggest cap hit Sanders will have during his four-year rookie contract will come in 2022, when he’ll still be under $2 million.
5. I wonder how Prescott and Cooper feel about this Zeke deal. I’m sure they’re happy for their teammate, but it sort of feels like he jumped the line and I wonder how that plays in the locker room. Zeke had two years left on his deal and still held out for a new contract, while Prescott and Cooper are both about to enter contract years without their bag. <<
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-Eric L. - |
