Watch Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talk about the historic contract with Ezekiel Elliott
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones were in New York to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday morning, so the official press conference to announce the six-year, $90 extension for running back Ezekiel Elliott on Thursday.
But Jerry Jones talked about the Elliott deal on CNBC.
“Zeke has a big heart,” Jones said. “Now he’s got a thick pocketbook too. “I’m $100 million lighter as of this morning.
“Zeke has been arguably our best player…he’s an incremental part to our success. Zeke allows us to create such problems for the defense, and then we can open it up to our passing, open it up for (quarterback) Dak Prescott.”
Elliott’s deal, which included a modest $7.5 million signing bonus, averages $15 million per season, the most ever for a running back, and includes a record $50 million in guaranteed money.
Add in the remaining two years on his rookie deal of $3.85 million in 2019 and $9.099 million in 2020, then Elliott’s total package is whopping $102.9 million until 2026.
Elliott’s deal is second in team history in terms of value and guarantee, trailing defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who got a five-year, $105 million extension with $65 million in guarantees.
This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 11:10 AM.
