Ezekiel Elliott and the Patriots discussed contract parameters Saturday as the running back completed a visit with New England, and there’s mutual interest between the player and team, league sources told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Jets, who are hosting Dalvin Cook, have also shown interest in Elliott, who is expected to weigh his options in the coming days before making a decision.
- After seven seasons with the Cowboys, the team released Elliott in March, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million extension with Dallas in September 2019.
- Elliott, who just turned 28 this month, posted 876 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 231 carries last season.
Zeke Elliott and the Patriots discussed contract parameters, and there’s mutual interest, per sources. The Jets, who are hosting Dalvin Cook, have also shown interest in Elliott, who is expected to weigh his options in the coming days before making a decision. @TheAthletic https://t.co/Wv9gnNvL55
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) July 29, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Elliott’s fit in New England
As the Patriots kicked off training camp, they seemed prepared to hand over the majority of the backfield work to Rhamondre Stevenson. This offseason, they let Damien Harris walk in free agency. They cut their only offseason addition at the position (James Robinson), and there are no proven backups behind him. There are no high draft picks ready to poach carries or veteran free agents clamoring for attention.
With two inexperienced backs with some upside (Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris) and a third-down back with a recent injury history (Ty Montgomery), it’s clear they could use some veteran depth at the position. The Patriots’ interest in Elliott makes sense. They still have a ton of faith in Stevenson, but he wore down toward the end of last season with the heavy workload, so if the Pats can find a reliable backup, that could go a long way in helping Stevenson.
Elliott would provide that in spades. He has averaged over 1,500 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns a season over his seven-year career and has been durable as well, missing just 11 games over his career in Dallas. — Graff
Backstory
The Cowboys drafted Elliott with the No. 4 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and he exploded to a first-team All-Pro season in his rookie year, rushing for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns on 322 carries. Both those rushing yards and touchdowns remain Elliott’s career highs.
Elliott led the league in carries and rushing twice (2016, 2018), but produced a career-low number of rushing yards last season as the No. 2 back behind Tony Pollard. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Pollard in March after the tailback broke his left leg and suffered a high ankle sprain in the Cowboys’ NFC divisional round loss to the 49ers. They released Elliott about a week after tagging Pollard. With Elliott’s release, Dallas trimmed nearly $11 million off its 2023 salary-cap number.
The market for Elliott hasn’t been demanding, as veteran running backs’ value has been decreasing. Last week, Browns running back Nick Chubb told The Athletic, “We’re definitely in a tough situation, running backs as a whole.”
Chargers running back Austin Ekeler also organized a Zoom call with running backs in the “top of the league” to discuss running backs’ contracts, spurred by the recent lack of long-term deals for Saquon Barkley (signed a one-year deal), Josh Jacobs (unsigned with franchise tag tender) and Pollard (signed franchise tag tender).
Required reading
(Photo: George Walker / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
