Should Cowboys have paid Zeke?

[TwentyOne]

It’s a reminder of how little attention Cowboys management was paying to the NFL landscape in the summer of 2019 when they honored Elliott’s holdout and made him the highest-paid back in the league.

The last thing any NFL team ever wants is the highest-paid back on its payroll, which is why Zeke has no trade value whatsoever. Nobody is looking to add a huge salary cap hit at the running back position for 2021 with a declining player who now can’t stop fumbling along with not being able to break runs of any consequence.

Yet here the Cowboys are because the Joneses got scared and were afraid of what might happen if they opened the 2019 season without Zeke.

The Cowboys are a franchise out of step, and now it’s running out of having anything on offense beyond some top-notch receivers and a running back whose history and contract far exceed his present value.

As time passed and Prescott developed and the Cowboys added Amari Cooper and then CeeDee Lamb, this became Dak’s offense. Elliott’s importance diminished on an almost weekly basis. He became a luxury item , a $90 million player with zero trade value.

This never was in question.

Should never drafted him.
Should never paid him a second contract.

 

[Diehardblues]

its been discussed so much NO its not necessary,

Its gets old we lose and its zekes fault..idiotic fantasy land some of you live in..ITS BEEN OVERLY DISCUSSED TO NAUSIUM AND YET WONT CHANGE A THING..

ONE player one who has actually performed as advertised out side of the fumbling this season , his accumulated a 5 season production that was expected. Hes dont nothing to prove he shouldnt have been taken 4th outside of opinion and ideology..

especially given the FACT THAT KELLEN MOORE HAS DECIDED THEY WOULD GO FULL TARD PASS HAPPY and not find a better balance and utilize Zeke more...

no balance, more passing stats have led to looses not wins.. going away from zeke is not working..its a philosophy change that zekes isnt responsible for..

hes one of the only highly drafted and highly paid backs that hasn't missed games, most at the top of the list have missed seasons, Signiant games yearly and not being available is an issue zeke doesnt have.. and his blocking skills, can catch the ball etc

its not as big a mistake paying him as some argue, its a coaching staff that after zeke gets paid that go pass happy and dont know how to utilize a run game efficiently integrate to compliment the pass game..add a declining OL since 2018 and i say stop focusing on zeke and his deal and look at the rest of the team who most of which were paid very well..

Ts-huge deal misses a lot of games
LC-Big new deal lost for season
AC-big new deal disappears and loafs
JS- nice deal where the results?
Martin-cant say a lot about him but hes missing time now wit a big deal
Jarwin-resins tio nice new deal out for season game 1
TFRED-lost due to health but i believe he had big new deal..

these are the issues that make the zeke signing APPEAR a bad one but, it was NOT IMO as once you draft the guy 4th overall and he doesnt disappoint, you pay him..
they made the decison and Zekes best two years they go to the layoffs, the years he was suspended or we have changed philosophy we are losing..

No one is forcing you to participate if you don’t think it’s necessary. This is often what we do in a fan forum is over analyze and play Monday morning QB. But thanks for your comments!

 

[Brooksey]

In hindsight no

 

[Direwolf63]

If you draft a player #4 overall, you have to give them a second contract unless they are a bust, so yes, they had to pay him.

The problem is drafting a RB at #4 overall.

No doubt where is was drafted was part of the problem.

When Leveon Bell started crying for money in Pittsburgh, they let him walk. And the Steelers have carried on without missing a beat. But he was a 2nd round pick, I believe. Would Jerry have done the same if Zeke was a 2nd rounder?

I don't know.

 

[blueblood70]

No one is forcing you to participate if you don’t think it’s necessary. This is often what we do in a fan forum is over analyze and play Monday morning QB. But thanks for your comments!

i will because ill point out stupidity of i so choose!! so deal with it.. someone needs to make point of calling out beating dead horse overly posted narratives..its simply trolling and you know it..you do this with zeke

but fight for dak to get paid..lmao daks new age glorified stats padding has us at 4-8 yet he should get paid 38-40mil?

you dont lie Kaild and pappy constantly ripping dak but you do it with zeke..

so deal with the responses..

 

[Diehardblues]

i will because ill point out stupidity of i so choose!! so deal with it.. someone needs to make point of calling out beating dead horse overly posted narratives..its simply trolling and you know it..you do this with zeke

but fight for dak to get paid..lmao daks new age glorified stats padding has us at 4-8 yet he should get paid 38-40mil?

you dont lie Kaild and pappy constantly ripping dak but you do it with zeke..

so deal with the responses..

Of course. Only your opinion is worthy. Everyone else is an idiot . How refreshing.

 

[Future]

No doubt where is was drafted was part of the problem.

When Leveon Bell started crying for money in Pittsburgh, they let him walk. And the Steelers have carried on without missing a beat. But he was a 2nd round pick, I believe. Would Jerry have done the same if Zeke was a 2nd rounder?

I don't know.

They didn't really let him walk.

They tagged him twice and offered him a contract that would have been the richest for an RB ever, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[My3Sons]

HOWEVER, paying him early sets a BAD precedent

JS contact as well

This.
If Zeke was told to sit out by JJ last year, he would have come back and played. We would then be paying him on his rookie contract this year with plenty of leverage to sign him to a team friendly deal next year.

 

[Direwolf63]

They didn't really let him walk.

They tagged him twice and offered him a contract that would have been the richest for an RB ever, if I'm not mistaken.

They did offer him a deal. When Bell didn't accept, they moved on. As opposed to Jerry who bent over.

Was that a function of where they were drafted? Or the difference in culture between the Steelers and Cowboys?

 

[Future]

They did offer him a deal. When Bell didn't accept, they moved on. As opposed to Jerry who bent over.

Was that a function of where they were drafted? Or the difference in culture between the Steelers and Cowboys?

It's a function of them having a threshold and Bell not meeting it. It's not like Dallas gave Zeke $25 million and that Jerry was "bent over." That's dumb.

It's a function of Bell being stupid and his play declining. It's not cultural anything.

 

[Direwolf63]

It's a function of them having a threshold and Bell not meeting it. It's not like Dallas gave Zeke $25 million and that Jerry was "bent over." That's dumb.

It's a function of Bell being stupid and his play declining. It's not cultural anything.

Zeke has 2 years remaining on his deal? Why didn't Jerry hold firm and let Zeke spend the year in Cabo?

 

[Future]

Zeke has 2 years remaining on his deal? Why didn't Jerry hold firm and let Zeke spend the year in Cabo?

Because they wanted to win games...This isn't complicated.

 

[Direwolf63]

Because they wanted to win games...This isn't complicated.

And the Steelers didn't want to win?

 

[Future]

And the Steelers didn't want to win?

They didn't need Bell to do it, because they had Roeth and a potent passing offense.

JG built an entire offense around Zeke, you don't have the flexibility.

 

[PAPPYDOG]

Dak, Zeke, Coop, Dlaw.....time the ship left them at the port and got some new crew members!!!

 

[kskboys]

The Zeke problem was handled horribly from the start. He was under contract for 2 more years. He should have been told w/ no uncertainty that absolutely no contract talks would be held until he showed up in camp. Let him sit out the next 2 years.

Same w/ DLaw. Let him know that no contract talks will be held until after the surgury. Let him sit out.

Why? Because when you start letting players hold you hostage, it sets a horrible precedent. Suddenly, they all want to hold out for more, knowing we'll bend.

 

[shabazz]

The Zeke problem was handled horribly from the start. He was under contract for 2 more years. He should have been told w/ no uncertainty that absolutely no contract talks would be held until he showed up in camp. Let him sit out the next 2 years.

Same w/ DLaw. Let him know that no contract talks will be held until after the surgury. Let him sit out.

Why? Because when you start letting players hold you hostage, it sets a horrible precedent. Suddenly, they all want to hold out for more, knowing we'll bend.

Very true………..everybody's gotten a kings ransom from Jerry...…..except Dakota; Jerry broke it off in him

 

[MarcusRock]

LOL. For many of us, it's not hindsight. In fact, some of us were against drafting him right from the start.

And it's not been one game. Elliott hasn't been an elite back for a few years now. He's never been explosive since his rookie year. His efficiency has gone down since his rookie year. That's just the reality some of you can't bring yourselves to admit.

Okay, hindsight and/or told you so while the tellin' you so is ripe for having folks agree. It's like starting a thread, "Who thinks Jerry and Stephen should retire?" But ANYTIME a player is up for getting paid, fans are in line to say don't pay them. Then they look for things like a hawk to be able to say, "I told you so" or repeat the lazy narrative that players coast once they get paid (like Tyron Smith and Zack Martin did) to further boost themselves on the moral front. I think what people can't bring themselves to admit is that risk is part of all of these equations and not all signings will work out. Win some, lose some. But this fanbase is terribly entitled and proceeds to whine about everything that doesn't go exactly the way they want it. Draft, contracts, refs, game broadcasters, media. But I get it. If people are frustrated, they can at least take solace that they might have been "right" and if only they were listened to, this might have been different. Same would have been true of others who didn't like the move back into the first round to grab Paxton Lynch if that had worked out. Or Connor Cook. But that didn't happen. This and Dak did. Hasn't worked out completely as far as results but I guess we can dream about what would have been with Ramsey and Lynch to see if that would have been better.

I remember when the fanbase was ecstatic when we signed Jaylon Smith because it was "stickin' it to holdout Elliott." Now look. Dak was "doing things the right way" and now look at the contractual opinion of him. Sorry man, but this fanbase has petty brats in it and part of me enjoys seeing them stew in their own hate juices that they themselves started. Stew, my pretties, stew. Lol.

 

[Direwolf63]

The Zeke problem was handled horribly from the start. He was under contract for 2 more years. He should have been told w/ no uncertainty that absolutely no contract talks would be held until he showed up in camp. Let him sit out the next 2 years.

Same w/ DLaw. Let him know that no contract talks will be held until after the surgury. Let him sit out.

Why? Because when you start letting players hold you hostage, it sets a horrible precedent. Suddenly, they all want to hold out for more, knowing we'll bend.

I've tried to make this point with @Future, but I'm not getting through. That's ok.

You can't let the inmates run the asylum. In Pittsburgh, they let Leveon Bell and Antonio Brown walk rather than having their team turn into a crazy-player-driven mess. Jerry has done the opposite with Zeke and Lawrence.

You see the results of the different philosophies on the field today.

 

[blueblood70]

Okay, hindsight and/or told you so while the tellin' you so is ripe for having folks agree. It's like starting a thread, "Who thinks Jerry and Stephen should retire?" But ANYTIME a player is up for getting paid, fans are in line to say don't pay them. Then they look for things like a hawk to be able to say, "I told you so" or repeat the lazy narrative that players coast once they get paid (like Tyron Smith and Zack Martin did) to further boost themselves on the moral front. I think what people can't bring themselves to admit is that risk is part of all of these equations and not all signings will work out. Win some, lose some. But this fanbase is terribly entitled and proceeds to whine about everything that doesn't go exactly the way they want it. Draft, contracts, refs, game broadcasters, media. But I get it. If people are frustrated, they can at least take solace that they might have been "right" and if only they were listened to, this might have been different. Same would have been true of others who didn't like the move back into the first round to grab Paxton Lynch if that had worked out. Or Connor Cook. But that didn't happen. This and Dak did. Hasn't worked out completely as far as results but I guess we can dream about what would have been with Ramsey and Lynch to see if that would have been better.

I remember when the fanbase was ecstatic when we signed Jaylon Smith because it was "stickin' it to holdout Elliott." Now look. Dak was "doing things the right way" and now look at the contractual opinion of him. Sorry man, but this fanbase has petty brats in it and part of me enjoys seeing them stew in their own hate juices that they themselves started. Stew, my pretties, stew. Lol.