Ezekiel Elliott: How Much Is the Dallas Cowboys RB Making Now?

Ezekiel Elliott has a new contract and is now making a lot of money. According to multiple reports, Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a six-year, $90 million contract extension. The NFL Network reported Elliott will also get $50 million in guaranteed money. Overall, Elliott will earn $103 million over the next eight years, which will make him the first NFL running back to earn over $100 million.

So how much money will Elliott make each season? The entire contract structure has yet to be released but based on the new money Elliott has received, his average salary could be around $15 million per year which would surpass Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley who has an average salary of $14.3 million.

During the weekend, the talks between Elliott's people and the Cowboys heated up since the regular season begins on Sunday. The Cowboys made an offer to Elliott last month which was slightly less than Gurley's range in terms of cash. But the deal was declined as Elliott wanted to be the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

Elliott talked to Maxim Magazine this past July, admitting he wants to be a member of the Cowboys for as long as possible.

"I love playing for the Dallas Cowboys, I love the organization, my teammates. I do want to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life and hopefully that's a possibility," Elliott said. "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."

If the Cowboys didn't get a deal done before their first game, Tony Pollard would have been the starter and the Cowboys would have been comfortable with that. In a way, the Cowboys would have preferred if Elliott didn't sign right away so they can have him 100 percent later in the season.

"We've got a marathon here," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said via ESPN. "We want Zeke when we get to the playoffs. We want Zeke when we're in the dog days of this season. ... A fresh Zeke, if we got to the end, would be great.

"We have to be prepared to play without any given player," Jones added. "We may very well play without a player that's not coming in on his contract. We'll play and play well."

In his three seasons in Dallas, Elliott has rushed for 4,048 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has led the NFL in rushing yards in 2016 and 2018 and he has led the NFL in rush yards per carry the last three years. So this contract Elliott signed was earned and now the Cowboys can focus on defending their NFC East title.