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The Cowboys will release All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott after seven seasons, owner Jerry Jones confirmed in a statement Wednesday. He will be designated as a post-June 1 cut, according to a team source. Here’s what you need to know:
- Elliott, 27, is coming off a 2022 campaign where he rushed for 876 yards on 231 carries with 12 touchdowns. His rushing total and yards per carry (3.8) were single-season career lows for Elliott.
- The three-time Pro Bowler signed a six-year contract extension in 2019 that would have maxed out at $90 million.
- This comes on the heels of the Cowboys issuing the franchise tag to running back Tony Pollard earlier this month.
- “We have mutually agreed with Zeke that the best decision for everyone is that he will be able to experience free agency,” Jones said. “And we can increase our flexibility and options as well.”
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Backstory
Dallas selected Elliott at No. 4 in the 2016 NFL Draft. He exploded to a first-team All-Pro season in his rookie year. He’s led the league in carries and rushing twice (2016, 2018). But he’s only eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark once in the last three seasons, barely doing so with 1,002 yards in 2021. He has still been a scorer with 22 TD rushes over the past two seasons.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Elliott’s price too high
The Cowboys tried not to reveal their plans at the scouting combine, saying that they still had interest in keeping Elliott on the roster for the upcoming season. But his significant salary was always going to make that difficult. Elliott just isn’t close to being one of the league’s top backs, which he was when signing a six-year, $90 million extension in September of 2019. It will go down as one of the worst contracts in Cowboys history.
Elliott was one of the NFL’s best rushers from 2016 through 2019, winning two rushing titles. But his production has steadily declined over the last three seasons. Rather than asking him to take a pay cut, it makes sense to just move on. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Pollard earlier this month. He was clearly Dallas’ best back last season. Whether or not the Cowboys work out a long-term extension with Pollard, he will be the team’s lead back in 2023. Moving on from Elliott means running back will be a bigger priority in this draft. It doesn’t mean they need to spend a first-round pick on the position, but it will likely be addressed. — Machota
Bound to occur
This was destined to happen the moment the time became available and with the way his cumbersome contract was written, it was always going to be the spring of 2023. Well, we arrived there and while everyone tried to be respectful of what appears to be a universally well-liked teammate, the realities of the NFL in terms of salary cap and shelf-life of an NFL RB came home to roost. — Sturm
Low market for Zeke
Elliott will likely not find a robust market of opportunity out there, but at least he has the full free agency period to exhaust those possibilities. The facts are pretty simple though that he had lost almost all of his explosiveness in the last 36 months and it is a stark reminder of how short NFL careers often are and that a player is wise to maximize his earning power while he has leverage over his employer. They will cut you loose the moment they decide your day is done – even if they like you a lot. — Sturm
What they’re saying
“Zeke’s impact and influence is seared into the Cowboys franchise in a very special and indelible way,” Jones said in his statement Wednesday. “He has been a consummate professional and leader that set a tone in our locker room, on the practice field and in the huddle. Zeke defined what a great teammate should be, and anyone that has ever played a team sport would be lucky to have a teammate like Zeke and be much better for it.”
“We will always have a special place and love for Zeke and what he means to our Cowboys family, both as a person and a player. That will never change.”
Required reading
(Photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
