Breaking: Dallas Cowboys Release Running Back Ezekiel Elliott
The Dallas Cowboys have released running back Ezekiel Elliott, making him a free agent. The 27-year-old player was set to count a massive $16.7 million against the salary cap, with a non-guaranteed base salary of $10.9 million. The Cowboys have designated him as a post-June 1 cut, which will save the team almost $11 million against the 2023 cap. However, he will still count for a little over $6 million against the 2024 cap. The Cowboys will not receive the cap credit until June 1.
Jerry Jones, the team’s owner and general manager, had previously indicated that he was open to the possibility of keeping both Elliott and Tony Pollard, who was given the $10.091 million franchise tag. However, it seems that Elliott’s release was inevitable due to his hefty salary demands. It is unclear whether the team even made him an offer to accept a substantial pay cut.
Despite his departure, Jones praised Elliott’s contributions to the team, stating that “Zeke’s impact and influence is seared into the Cowboys franchise in a very special and indelible way.” Jones further stated that Elliott defined what a great teammate should be and that anyone who has ever played a team sport would be lucky to have a teammate like him.
In addition to Elliott’s release, the Cowboys have restructured the contracts of defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and offensive tackle Tyron Smith, freeing up a total of $8.89 million and $13.6 million, respectively, in cap space. This brings the total number of players whose contracts have been restructured in the past two weeks to five, including Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, and Michael Gallup, resulting in almost $45 million in a freed-up room.
Elliott had signed a six-year extension worth $90 million in 2019, with $50 million in guaranteed money. However, his performance in the past three seasons has been lackluster, with his numbers dropping off significantly. Injuries have also been a factor in his declining performance, with Elliott playing through a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in 2021 and missing two games in 2022 due to a hyperextended right knee.
While Elliott was still the starter, the Cowboys relied more on Pollard last season, with Pollard running for 1,007 yards, scoring 12 touchdowns, and being named to the Pro Bowl for the first time. The Cowboys have until July 15 to work out a multi-year agreement with Pollard, or he will have to play the year on the tag.
With Elliott’s departure, he finishes his career with the Cowboys with 1,881 carries for 8,262 yards and 68 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 305 passes for 1,336 yards and 12 touchdowns, and his 80 career touchdowns rank third in team history, behind only Smith and Dorsett.
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