Zeke wants ‘to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life... hopefully that’s possible’

The interview was in July well before the start of training camp.

But the article wasn’t published online until today and it gives a glimpse into the mindset of the Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott leading up to his decision to holdout in a contract dispute.

Two quotes stand out.

Elliott believes his play since being picked fourth overall in 2016 with two rushing titles has resurrected the value of running backs in the NFL.

“Until the very recent deal with Todd Gurley [four years, $60 million], I think there was an undervalue of the running back,” claims Elliott. “But with guys like Gurley getting drafted so high, then me, and now guys like Saquon [Barkley] getting drafted in the first round, I think we’ve done a great job of bringing back the value of the position, showing the importance of the running back.”

Ironically, the biggest sticking point in contract talks with the Cowboys is that they have offered him a deal comparable to Le’Veon Bell of the New York Jets rather than Gurley, the league’s high-paid player at the position, because vice president Stephen Jones said Bell brought the market down for running backs.

Elliott said playing for the Cowboys is a dream come true and he hopes to be able to spend his entire career in Dallas. But it’s also not lost on him that Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith was forced to finish his career with the Cardinals after leading the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles and becoming the league’s all-time leading rusher.

“I love playing for the Dallas Cowboys, I love the organization, my teammates,” Elliott said. “I do want to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life and hopefully that’s a possibility. But even Emmitt Smith, the greatest running back ever, ended up going to play a couple of years for another organization. So it’s just the nature of the game, but I want to be a Dallas Cowboy for as long as I can.”

Like Smith, Elliott wants to be part of a Super Bowl champion. That is more important to him than individual goals.

“It all starts with the team, the ultimate goal, and that’s just to win a Super Bowl,” Elliott said. “I think every NFL team starts the season with that goal, and that’s the main objective, nothing comes before that. If you just focus on going out and trying to win games, all of the rest of the stuff, all the individual results, will come with that. I don’t really put much importance into individual goals. I do every year want to try and win the rushing title. I do every year want to try and make All-Pro.

“But I believe that if you do everything you can in helping your team win ball games, and the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, then all of the other stuff will take care of itself.”

Including the contract?

Time will tell.