Not so long ago, Ezekiel Elliott put the Dallas Cowboys against the wall.
He was considered one of the best running backs in the league, and he threatened to pull a Le’Veon Bell and sit out for an entire season unless he was paid like such.
Unfortunately for the team, that deal rapidly backfired, as Elliott regressed every year after signing that massive contract, up to the point where he ceded half of his touches to former backup Tony Pollard.
The Ohio State product failed to impress in the last fully guaranteed season of his contract, so the team can just pull the plug and move on from him.
And while he claimed that he would be more than willing to take a pay cut if that helped them stay in Arlington, NFL insider Ian Rapoport recently reported that the team is likely to move on from him now.
From @GMFB: The #Cowboys will likely move on from Zeke Elliott, with a final decision coming soon for their franchise back. pic.twitter.com/HNzwk4VP6q
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2023
This is far from a surprise, all things considered, and the fans know it well:
And his last down was a failed attempt as a center 😂
— J.P. (@nowcomeinonit) March 15, 2023
This has been a long time coming but it's gunna hurt seeing him not in dallas
— Joseph Garcia (@SuitedCrown133) March 15, 2023
“Out of respect”
“best players”Zekes cooked. It’s okay Ian
— Joey Bag’O Bets (@JoeyBagOBets) March 15, 2023
Hasn’t been a franchise back for years
— bigblue (@bigblue2656) March 15, 2023
Holy hell man…. This is my dream off-season
— LTBF (@OKCDONTMISS) March 15, 2023
The Cowboys placed Pollard under the franchise tag, and he’s been their most efficient and explosive back for a couple of seasons now.
It doesn’t seem like Elliott has a lot of miles left on him.
He’s struggled to take good care of the football, and there’s no reason to think he can go back to his former self at this point in his career.
It will be interesting to see whether Elliott can still gauge some interest around the league, but we wouldn’t expect him to fetch a big salary or a long-term deal right now.
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