DONE DEAL! Cowboys Agree to 6-year, $90M (new money) Contract Extension With Ezekiel Elliott

DONE DEAL! Cowboys Agree to 6-year, $90M (new money) Contract Extension With Ezekiel Elliott

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

FRISCO - After a month-long hold out that spanned all of the Cowboys 2019 training camp and preseason schedule, the Dallas Cowboys finally came to terms on a contract extension with their star running back and franchise player Ezekiel Elliott on Tuesday, in a deal that will make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

The reported six-year $90 million (new money) deal, with $50 mil guaranteed, comes together just in time for Elliott to get involved in this Sunday’s game plan for the season opener against the New York Giants. The deal spans eight years totaling $103 mil, as first noted by NFL Network, equaling the richest running back contract in NFL history.

At the same time, the APY is well below Todd Gurley's $14 mil, here coming in at $12.875.

As I said yesterday, 8/$103 is $12.9M per year...

Almost 2 months ago, @fishsports & & I showed you all a 6 year $68M contract ($12.6M per year new money)

If you tack on 2 more years w/ raises compliant w/ the 30% rule... you add $16.25M & $18.2M, or $34.45M...

$68+35=$103M pic.twitter.com/aGAR5jU7ZI

— Joey Ickes (@JoeyIckes) September 4, 2019

Elliott is coming off of a season in which he led the NFL in rushing yards for the second time in his career, finishing the 2018 season with 1,434 yards and six touchdowns, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. 

Elliott was also the NFL's rushing champ during his rookie season in 2016, after exploding on to the NFL scene with 1,631 yards, 15 scores and averaging over five yards per carry. 

In fact, the only season in which Elliott has been in the NFL, and not led been the league rushing champ was in 2017, when he missed six games due to a suspension. Even then, Elliott led the league in average yards per game at 98.3 per contest. 

To put it simply, the Cowboys realized the value of Elliott was too great to allow the running back the remain held out into the regular season, with the two parties swiftly coming to an agreement late into the night and morning as Wednesday approaches, just in time for today's Wednesday morning's practice. ... and a press conference coming here at The Star sometime this week.

The Cowboys will now enter the regular-season opener against the New York Giants next Sunday with one of the most dynamic running back rooms in the NFL, and the league's best back under contract for the long term.