Cowboys Exec. Stephen Jones: Ezekiel Elliott Extension Is A “Priority”, But Still No Timetable

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones mentioned during an interview with Pro Football Talk on Friday that signing RB Ezekiel Elliott to an extension is a priority, but there’s still no timetable to get an agreement in place. 

“I think those [contract extensions] are all a work in progress,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “Certainly we’ve got a couple years there with Zeke to get that done. We certainly want to get him done. He’s the straw, if you will, that stirs our drink. He’s a key part of what we’re about. 

“Those things take time to get done. They don’t happen over night. Certainly he is a priority in terms of ultimately getting him signed. But there hasn’t really been a timetable put on this.”

Elliott will be one of the more interesting contract negotiations to watch for a few reasons. 

The Cowboys have already locked up DE DeMarcus Lawrence long term, but still have several notable players to address including Elliott, QB Dak Prescott and WR Amari Cooper among others. 

Elliott will likely be seeking an extension that will leave him among the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. Dallas has maintained that he’s an important part of their team moving forward, but it remains to be seen where he falls on their priority list. 

Elliott, 23, was taken with the No. 4 overall pick by the Cowboys back in May. He signed four-year contract worth $24,956,342, which includes a signing bonus of $16,350,068.

Elliott will make a base salary of $3.85 million for the 2019 season and another $9.1 million in 2020 under the fifth-year option of his contract. 

In 2018, Elliott appeared in 15 games for the Cowboys and rushed for 1,434 yards on 304 carries (4.7 YPC) to go along with 77 receptions for 567 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.