Colin Cowherd of FS1 believes other Dallas Cowboys players who are looking to get a new contract need to pay attention to what’s going on with star running back Ezekiel Elliott who is close to signing a new deal. The FS1 host reacted to Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith and offensive lineman La’el Collins getting contract extensions done before Elliott and he said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was sending a clear message to the players.
“It’s about a message,” Cowherd said on his show The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “We take care of our people if our people take care of us. This is not about Zeke this about Jerry sending a message to Cowboys players.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Cowherd also said that Jones has been smart about the Elliott contract negotiations because he re-signed Smith and Collins. Those moves kept the locker room stable as the players showed them loved after they received their deals. And with Elliott traveling from Cobo to Dallas to get a contract signed, that is a really good sign for the Cowboys.
“This is not just about Ezekiel Elliott. This is about Jerry Jones sending a message to Cowboys players.” @ColinCowherd reacts to Jaylon Smith and La’el Collins getting paid by Dallas while Zeke continues to wait. pic.twitter.com/1rdsusF8Vi
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 3, 2019
Another thing Cowherd mentioned is Jones talking about “pie” which means the money the Cowboys have to spend on their players. Jones was recently on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas and he said there may not be enough money to satisfy key veterans such as quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
“There’s no question the pie is getting smaller. To the extent we look at how much we allocate to each and every player, each and every position, that creates boundaries,” Jones said, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
It has been reported Elliott could sign a six-year contract worth $90 million which would make him the highest-paid running back in the league. If that happens, the question is what will Prescott and Cooper sign for when its time for them to get a deal done.
The Cowboys are coming off a 10-6 season in 2018. They won the NFC East and reached the divisional round of the playoffs. Elliott was a big part of the team’s success, rushing for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns.
That said, Cowherd knows the game Jones is playing and the fact that Smith and Collins got new deals before Elliott is an indication that if you play by Jones’ rules, you will get rewarded handsomely. And it looks like Elliott and the rest of the Cowboys realizes that.
