Ezekiel Elliott agrees to $90 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the highest-paid running back in NFL
- Ezekiel Elliott has agreed to a six-year, $90 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys.
- The contract makes him the highest-paid running back in the NFL, surpassing Todd Gurley's four-year, $60 million deal signed last year.
- Before Tuesday, many feared that Elliott's holdout would carry into the start of the season.
- Instead, the Cowboys found middle ground with Zeke, and will have their best offensive weapon at their disposal Week 1 against the New York Giants.
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Ezekiel Elliott has agreed to a six-year, $90 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys, ending the most dramatic ongoing holdout in the NFL just days before the start of the season.
The deal eclipses Todd Gurley's four-year, $60 million deal signed last year to make Elliott the highest-paid running back in the league, once again resetting the market for top-tier players at the position. According to reports, Elliott's deal will also top Gurley's in guaranteed money, with Zeke securing $50 million in guarantees from the Cowboys as opposed to Gurley's $45 million from the Rams.
Surpassing Gurley's contract was reportedly a sticking point during negotiations between Elliott and the Cowboys, but it appears as though both sides have come to an agreement that will give the Dallas superstar a chance of suiting up for Week 1.
For a while, it looked as though Elliott's holdout would last into the regular season, as both he and the Cowboys refused to budge on their wants.
Elliott, who has led the NFL in rushing in the two of his three seasons in which he's played the full season, was looking to get paid like the top-tier running back that he's proven himself to be. Conversely, the Cowboys had plenty of other players to pay, and with Elliott still having two years left on his rookie contract, likely wished to put off paying him as long as possible.
"I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones after the team's final preseason game.
While the hold out threatened to last into the start of the season, on Tuesday the deal came together, reuniting the Cowboys with their most dangerous offensive weapon and securing Elliott's future with the franchise through 2026.
Dallas opens the season at home against the New York Giants on Sunday.
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