Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knows that it’s going to cost the team a lot of money to re-sign running back Ezekiel Elliott. And because of that also realizes once Elliott is signed, it will be hard to re-sign other key players who will be up for new deals. 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 (via Pro Football Talk).
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Right now, the Cowboys are working hard to get a deal done with Elliott. There are reports of the star running back getting a six-year deal worth $90 million which would make him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
On Tuesday, the Cowboys reached a deal with offensive lineman La’el Collins and he signed a five-year deal that includes $50 million in new money according to NFL.com. That move comes on the heels of the Cowboys re-signing Jaylon Smith to a five-year $64 million deal last month. And let’s not forget about defensive end Demarcus Lawrence who signed a five-year, $105 million contract with $65 million guaranteed.
So the Cowboys will have some work to do if they want to satisfy Elliott, Prescott and Cooper. But the focus now is getting the Elliott deal done and because of the money he’s asking for, the contract talks have been going on since the weekend.
“Dallas is frustrated with the last exchange,” Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said on Twitter. “After Saturday’s momentum, Cowboys expected more compromise to get a deal done today. Didn’t happen, so it’s on to Monday and a hopeful reset.”
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.
So Jones knows how important Elliott is the Cowboys’ future. But with Prescott and Cooper also playing big roles for the team, it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens when Elliott is signed and the Cowboys look to sign their star quarterback and receiver.
