Jerry Jones Really Needs to Stop Insulting Ezekiel Elliott During Contract Talks
By Michael Luciano
Even when a superstar player is threatening to hold out and barbs have been traded back and forth through leaks and tweets alike, contract negotiations in the NFL tend to be at least SOMEWHAT amicable. In the case of Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys, however, all those formalities have been cast aside in favor of pettiness, name-calling, and insults.
Zeke is still catching some rays down in Cabo San Lucas while he waits on a new contract, and while he bides his time, Jerry Jones continues to play hardball with him. The boss has gone after the running back with yet another jab in the media, singling him out despite the fact Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper also want new deals of their own.
Jerry Jones on negotiations with Zeke/Dak/Amari: “We don’t have but one contract that has to be done to play. I don’t mean to be trite but we’re trying to get everyone under contract to play. That’s what we’re tryong to do here. Zeke is under contract.”
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 25, 2019
This has long gone beyond language of a contract or raw dollar amounts. This is personal now.
According to insider Ed Werder, whose word is gospel related to anything Cowboys, Jones offered Elliott a deal that would be worth less than only Todd Gurley's among NFL running backs. It's clear that Jerry's jokes and Stephen Jones' swipes at his agent have gotten to Zeke, and his Cowboys future is looking pretty grim at the moment.
The #Cowboys have offered RB Ezekiel Elliott a contract which would make him the second highest-paid RB in the NFL behind Todd Gurley, per @WerderEdESPN.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) August 22, 2019
The relationship between Elliott and the Cowboys is looking more and more like two unhappy parties who are hurtling toward an eventual divorce. If the owner keeps needling him like this, it's coming sooner rather than later.