The Dallas Cowboys finally addressed the massive void in their running back room by bringing back veteran rusher Ezekiel Elliott earlier this week. The 28-year-old RB is expected to lead a committee that’ll also feature the likes of Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman.
As with any free-agent signing, Cowboys fans have been wondering how much money it cost to bring Elliott back to Big D. After all, Jerry Jones hasn’t exactly been spending a lot of money this offseason, and one of the reasons why the ex-Ohio State Buckeye left town in the first place was financial issues.
Fortunately, the Dallas faithful don’t have to wait any longer as ESPN‘s Todd Archer has officially revealed Elliott’s contract figures.
Cowboys News: Ezekiel Elliott Contract Incentives Revealed
According to Archer, Elliott could potentially earn up to $3 million on his one-year return to Dallas. The St. Louis, MO native will earn $1.25 million as a base with a $375,000 signing bonus, both of which are guaranteed. He’ll also see a $375,000 active roster bonus while carrying a year-long cap hit of $2 million.
When it comes to incentives, Elliott can earn an extra $1 million with each of them requiring the Cowboys to make the playoffs. For starters, he can earn $250,000 if he can reach 1,100 scrimmage yards — something he’s accomplished six times but hasn’t done so since the 2021 campaign.
The three-time Pro Bowl RB will also see another $250,000 added to his bank account if he finds the end zone 10 times throughout the year. Although he’s only hit that milestone four times, two of those instances came in each of his last two seasons with the Cowboys.
Lastly, $500,000 is on the table if Elliott plays at least 51% of offensive snaps. Hitting this incentive seems like a guarantee considering that he’s never played less than 51% throughout his eight-year career.
Interestingly enough, Elliott would’ve only reached the playtime incentive during his season with the Patriots, finishing with just 955 scrimmage yards and five TDs, At the same time, New England had, arguably, the NFL’s worst offense, so there’s a decent chance that Elliott crushes those numbers as he re-joins Dallas’ high-octane attack.
Hopefully, Elliott reaches each of his incentives because that’d mean that Dallas likely had a good season. The future already looks bright in the Lone Star State, as the Cowboys presently own the eighth-best odds to win Super Bowl LIX (+1500), per FanDuel Sportsbook.
