Dallas Cowboys Have All The Leverage and Shouldn't Pay Ezekiel Elliott
The key to a successful contract negotiation is leverage and Ezekiel Elliott doesn't have it. It all sits with the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones.
There is no doubt that the Cowboys running back is a special player and the best player on that team. So on its face, Elliott threatening to sit the entire season puts some pressure on the Cowboys.
Here's the problem with Elliott's position. He has two years left on his deal. If he sits this year, his contract gets tolled, which means he would have two years left on his deal next year. Making matters worse, Elliott needs to play at least 6 regular season games to accrue a season to free agency. So he needs to be back by Week 11 against the Detroit Lions failing which his contract gets tolled. So the pressure is on Elliott.
But wait there's more Ron Popeil. The Cowboys can franchise tag Elliott once he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. And the team can do it three times.
This contractual reality leaves Elliott with very little leverage beyond the Cowboys perceived value of the running back.
On top of that, it's no secret that the position of running back is fungible. With a good offensive line, a good running back can look great. Just last season James Conner (3rd round pick), Chris Carson (7th round pick), Spencer Ware (6th round pick), Damien Williams (undrafted) and Philip Lindsay (undrafted) all had very good seasons. The Patriots Super Bowl game plan was predicated on the running game and no one would confuse Soni Michel for Elliott.
Since 2011, just 7% of players drafted in first 2 rounds were running backs. In 2018, teams rushed the football 25.9 times per game, which is the lowest in NFL history.
The key to a successful contract negotiation is leverage and Ezekiel Elliott doesn't have it. It all sits with the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones.
There is no doubt that the Cowboys running back is a special player and the best player on that team. So on its face, Elliott threatening to sit the entire season puts some pressure on the Cowboys.
Here's the problem with Elliott's position. He has two years left on his deal. If he sits this year, his contract gets tolled, which means he would have two years left on his deal next year. Making matters worse, Elliott needs to play at least 6 regular season games to accrue a season to free agency. So he needs to be back by Week 11 against the Detroit Lions failing which his contract gets tolled. So the pressure is on Elliott.
But wait there's more Ron Popeil. The Cowboys can franchise tag Elliott once he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. And the team can do it three times.
This contractual reality leaves Elliott with very little leverage beyond the Cowboys perceived value of the running back.
On top of that, it's no secret that the position of running back is fungible. With a good offensive line, a good running back can look great. Just last season James Conner (3rd round pick), Chris Carson (7th round pick), Spencer Ware (6th round pick), Damien Williams (undrafted) and Philip Lindsay (undrafted) all had very good seasons. The Patriots Super Bowl game plan was predicated on the running game and no one would confuse Soni Michel for Elliott.
Since 2011, just 7% of players drafted in first 2 rounds were running backs. In 2018, teams rushed the football 25.9 times per game, which is the lowest in NFL history.