While Ezekiel Elliott was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, there is little chance he will return to the team under a restructured contract.
Elliott’s ceiling was set to be higher than $16 million. After Dallas decided to put the franchise tag on Tony Pollard – worth more than $10 million – it became fairly clear that Elliott was going to be the victim of a cover crisis.
Winning is clearly a top priority for Elliott at this point in his career, according to Pro Football Talk. So far, the only known interested party is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is a very poor fit considering their poor offensive play. Also, Tom Brady is gone, which means the Bucs shouldn’t expect to win many games next season.
FanSided’s Kristen Wong clarified the issue with the Boss-Elliot marriage on Wednesday:
The Bucs ran their offense on the ground last season ranking last in the league in run blocking and last in rushing yards per game (75.6).
With Elliott’s efficiency already waning, he’ll thrive better on a team with an already solid rushing attack, not to mention he probably doesn’t want to be fed balls from newly signed quarterback Baker Mayfield.”
Cowboys rumors: Where will Ezekiel Elliott sign?
Elliott did well on his contract—earning $70 million in back-to-back returns, and held up contract extensions after the 2019 season. At the time, Elliott was criticized for missing training camp, and not being with the team during a critical transitional period. It’s another reminder that players must earn their value, whatever the cost.
Zeke’s career didn’t necessarily end in Dallas, though, as he struggled to find a team in free agency. A return on a short-term deal, either now or after a short period elsewhere, could be in the cards. Elliott left on good terms with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office for a reason.
No bridges burned, which means you can’t count on a reunion in Dallas.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/diarioas/ZWJDNXRJRRHIVCMKZ7ZPNYMAKQ.jpg)
