Sports

Jerry Jones Praises Ezekiel Elliott, Doesn’t Commit To Longterm Deal

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
Font Size:

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has nothing but praise for Ezekiel Elliott, but that doesn’t mean he’ll hand him a longterm deal immediately.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Jones told people in part Tuesday, “All you got to do is go in the locker room, and you’ll see that Zeke is inspirational. Zeke is inspirational with not only what he does on the field, but what he does in the locker room. He’s a bright soul, I call him.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ezekiel Elliott (@ezekielelliott) on

But he’s not handing him a huge raise right now.

When it comes to the money, Jones stated, “We want to make sure that how the players of the Dallas Cowboys are paid … that it reflects everything. At the end of the day they’ve got to be great teammates and help each other have a successful team, which is what our fans want.” (RELATED: Jerry Jones Says The Cowboys Are ‘Sold’ On Quarterback Dak Prescott)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ezekiel Elliott (@ezekielelliott) on

I think it’s fair to say it’s pretty obvious Jones is a personal fan of his star running back, and he’ll probably take care of him financially when the time comes. There are just other things that likely need to be done first.

For example, quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper are both due for new deals. However, it certainly doesn’t sound like Jones plans on keeping the former Ohio State star out in the cold when payday rolls around.

He said Elliott is a great teammate and that plays an important role in contract negotiations. Clearly, he’s signaling he’s going to take care of his guy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ezekiel Elliott (@ezekielelliott) on

The only real question is how much money will be around after Prescott gets his new and likely huge contract and then Cooper gets paid.

I’m not sure the answer is a whole lot, but Jones will figure out a way to get the job done. The Cowboys are absolutely in win-now mode, and Elliott is a huge part of that.

There’s no chance Jones would let him walk away and put the offense at risk. He just wouldn’t. Elliott is going to get paid and he’ll likely be a Cowboy for a very long time.