Dallas Cowboys RB Trouble: Escape Clause in Zeke’s Contract?

Dallas Cowboys star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, hasn’t looked himself this season making some believe his best days are behind him. Are the Cowboys stuck with him?

The 2019 season has taken a strange turn. The Dallas Cowboys, long considered a Run First/Run Often offense, suddenly became a passing team. And despite a concentrated effort to “feed Zeke”, the Cowboys are finding their running offense to be largely ineffective and their passing offense bordering on dominant.

Whether the offensive line is to blame of the man carrying the rock is to blame, the result is the same – the running game isn’t as key as it once was. If the running game is no longer the cornerstone then it’s safe to say making Ezekiel Elliott the highest paid running back is a massive mistake.

If Zeke’s best days are behind him, the Dallas Cowboys are in trouble. Generational talent seems like the exception to the “you don’t pay running backs” rule and if Zeke’s not generational anymore, how big of a mistake was re-signing him? Better yet, are the Dallas Cowboys married to Zeke for the next eight seasons or is there an escape clause built into his contract?

Note: We will address whether or not the Dallas Cowboys made a mistake re-signing Zeke in tomorrow morning’s column. Today, we want to talk about how long the Dallas Cowboys are really committed to him and whether or not there’s a way out.

It’s a 2-Year Extension

Upon signing his new deal, I penned a column detailing his contract and what it meant going forward. In it I pointed out a couple key dates that would provide the franchise relief in case they wanted to be rid of their 2x Pro Bowler.

Technically Zeke’s contract is a 6-year extension that has a potential out in 2023. But to many it reads the other way around – as a 4-year deal with a possibility to extend through 2026. That’s because following the 2022 season Dallas can cut bait for a manageable penalty of just $6.7 million. So really it’s just a 2-year extension since he was already under contract through 2020.

Extra Early Escapes

Let’s say Zeke continues to decline and Dallas finds Tony Pollard and/or others can handle the job just fine. There are some even earlier exits available should Dallas decide to cut bait early (although they are not optimal).

Basically his 2021 base salary of $9.6 million becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster on the fifth day of the 2020 season. And his 2022 base salary of $12.4 million is fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the ’21 season. This makes cutting him prior to ’22 very difficult.

That isn’t to say the Cowboys are SOL prior to 2022, though. While we don’t know the specific language of his deal and how it’s affected by legal troubles and/or suspensions, almost all contacts do. Given Zeke’s long history of trouble, it’s pretty safe to say those protections reside in Zeke’s deal here as well .

Generally speaking, suspensions void future guaranteed money and allow teams to escape otherwise inescapable situations. If Zeke gets hit with another suspension, it could be a blessing in disguise for a team that wants to re-appropriate funds.

Zeke Love

A sizeable portion of the Cowboys Nation love Zeke like no other and the mere mention of cutting someone who they see as the team’s best player is nothing short of blasphemy. The intention here is not to try to convince the masses the Cowboys are better off without him. No, the team is better WITH Zeke, I wouldn’t cut him right now even if I could.

The point is, that may not always be the case and since money is finite under the NFL’s salary cap, his slotted salary could one day (possibly soon) be better used elsewhere. That’s why it’s important to readdress the specifics of the contract and what it means for the Cowboys’ flexibility going forward.

Next. Why the Cowboys should have re-signed Dak and Amari - not Zeke. dark

Are the Dallas Cowboys stuck with Zeke for the next 7+ years of his deal or is there a way to escape should the running game continue to decline? Fear not, there are a couple ways to get out early and if Zeke proves to be invaluable, keeping him is just as manageable.

Published on 11/14/2019 at 17:01 PM
Last updated at 11/17/2019 at 06:17 AM

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