An interesting thought about the Zeke situation

[Bobhaze]

I know the conventional wisdom is because of that bad contract with Zeke ($90 mil over 6 years) we’re basically stuck with him another year. The cap hit if they cut him next year (as I understand it) would be $12 million.

But is it really totally inconceivable?

Look at the two big moves the SB champion rams did- one last off season and the other two seasons earlier; and some other cap hit moves good teams made:

• In order to make the Matt Stafford trade they had to take a $24 million dead money hit to move on from Jared Goff. They basically took on some dead money to get Stafford. The Jones boys would never make a move like that.
• In 2019, the rams ate a ton of RB Todd Gurley’s $60 million dollar contract by making him a post June 1 cut. They took on an $11.75 million dollar cap hit for Gurley, and two years later they won a SB.
• And don’t forget the rams carried a $9 million cap hit from WR Brandin Cooks last year.
• After the 2019 season, the chiefs basically ate the last year of S Eric Berry’s contract- over $8 mil in dead money and stil won the AFC championship in 2020.

The general idea is here is sometimes moving on from a bad deal is worth it even if it hurts now. This team needs to make some bold moves.

Maybe the Cowboys SHOULD make Zeke a post June 1 cut and just bite that bad contract bullet. Because we could acquire younger cheaper RB talent in the upcoming draft and pair that RB with TonyPollard who is in the last year of his “cheap rookie deal”.

If I was GM, I would strongly consider it.

 

[plymkr]

I'm in favor of it.

 

[Bobhaze]

I'm in favor of it.

Yeah, I just think the Cowboys need to make some bold moves. (They won’t) Keeping Zeke another year in my view is a mistake. Having Pollard paired with a mid-round rookie RB sounds good to me. I would cut Cooper and DLaw too. Those guys are good players but players are only as valuable as the playoff wins they get you.

 

[jnday]

I'm in favor of it.

I am in favor of getting out from under all of the contracts that they have on the books.

 

[RS12]

Thats why i am against restructuring the QBs contract. I want out from under that cap killer ASAP.

 

[Bobhaze]

Thats why i am against restructuring the QBs contract. I want out from under that cap killer ASAP.

Dak’s contract was just restructured so there’s no chance of him being gone for at least two more years. Besides, he’s not the biggest problem. He’s not great but he’s good. Starting over at QB is THE hardest position to find even starter level talent.

 

[Verdict]

I know the conventional wisdom is because of that bad contract with Zeke ($90 mil over 6 years) we’re basically stuck with him another year. The cap hit if they cut him next year (as I understand it) would be $12 million.

But is it really totally inconceivable?

Look at the two big moves the SB champion rams did- one last off season and the other two seasons earlier; and some other cap hit moves good teams made:

• In order to make the Matt Stafford trade they had to take a $24 million dead money hit to move on from Jared Goff. They basically took on some dead money to get Stafford. The Jones boys would never make a move like that.
• In 2019, the rams ate a ton of RB Todd Gurley’s $60 million dollar contract by making him a post June 1 cut. They took on an $11.75 million dollar cap hit for Gurley, and two years later they won a SB.
• And don’t forget the rams carried a $9 million cap hit from WR Brandin Cooks last year.
• After the 2019 season, the chiefs basically ate the last year of S Eric Berry’s contract- over $8 mil in dead money and stil won the AFC championship in 2020.

The general idea is here is sometimes moving on from a bad deal is worth it even if it hurts now. This team needs to make some bold moves.

Maybe the Cowboys SHOULD make Zeke a post June 1 cut and just bite that bad contract bullet. Because we could acquire younger cheaper RB talent in the upcoming draft and pair that RB with TonyPollard who is in the last year of his “cheap rookie deal”.

If I was GM, I would strongly consider it.

The Tank contract gives me way more heartburn than Zeke’s does.

 

[Ekspozed]

Dak’s contract was just restructured so there’s no chance of him being gone for at least two more years. Besides, he’s not the biggest problem. He’s not great but he’s good. Starting over at QB is THE hardest position to find even starter level talent.

Dak is Andy Dalton, Kirk Cousins type.

 

[Blackrain]

I know the conventional wisdom is because of that bad contract with Zeke ($90 mil over 6 years) we’re basically stuck with him another year. The cap hit if they cut him next year (as I understand it) would be $12 million.

But is it really totally inconceivable?

Look at the two big moves the SB champion rams did- one last off season and the other two seasons earlier; and some other cap hit moves good teams made:

• In order to make the Matt Stafford trade they had to take a $24 million dead money hit to move on from Jared Goff. They basically took on some dead money to get Stafford. The Jones boys would never make a move like that.
• In 2019, the rams ate a ton of RB Todd Gurley’s $60 million dollar contract by making him a post June 1 cut. They took on an $11.75 million dollar cap hit for Gurley, and two years later they won a SB.
• And don’t forget the rams carried a $9 million cap hit from WR Brandin Cooks last year.
• After the 2019 season, the chiefs basically ate the last year of S Eric Berry’s contract- over $8 mil in dead money and stil won the AFC championship in 2020.

The general idea is here is sometimes moving on from a bad deal is worth it even if it hurts now. This team needs to make some bold moves.

Maybe the Cowboys SHOULD make Zeke a post June 1 cut and just bite that bad contract bullet. Because we could acquire younger cheaper RB talent in the upcoming draft and pair that RB with TonyPollard who is in the last year of his “cheap rookie deal”.

If I was GM, I would strongly consider it.

Granted I believe these contracts were bad but what is worse is our culture and coaching have allowed the players talent to erode the point where they can never come close to living up to the contract.
If all these players lived up to their contracts and played with a level of pride and accountability I think it would have been possible to make it to a super bowl.

With the culture we have I'm not sure if we can ever accumulate enough young players on their rookie contracts That can get us over the hump before Jerry ruins them

 

[plymkr]

Yeah, I just think the Cowboys need to make some bold moves. (They won’t) Keeping Zeke another year in my view is a mistake. Having Pollard paired with a mid-round rookie RB sounds good to me. I would cut Cooper and DLaw too. Those guys are good players but players are only as valuable as the playoff wins they get you.

I completely agree

 

[plymkr]

I am in favor of getting out from under all of the contracts that they have on the books.

I completely agree with you as well. Bad contracts are crippling this team. I know every team has maybe one or two contracts they need to get rid of. We have about 5 and it's killing us.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I know the conventional wisdom is because of that bad contract with Zeke ($90 mil over 6 years) we’re basically stuck with him another year. The cap hit if they cut him next year (as I understand it) would be $12 million.

But is it really totally inconceivable?

Look at the two big moves the SB champion rams did- one last off season and the other two seasons earlier; and some other cap hit moves good teams made:

• In order to make the Matt Stafford trade they had to take a $24 million dead money hit to move on from Jared Goff. They basically took on some dead money to get Stafford. The Jones boys would never make a move like that.
• In 2019, the rams ate a ton of RB Todd Gurley’s $60 million dollar contract by making him a post June 1 cut. They took on an $11.75 million dollar cap hit for Gurley, and two years later they won a SB.
• And don’t forget the rams carried a $9 million cap hit from WR Brandin Cooks last year.
• After the 2019 season, the chiefs basically ate the last year of S Eric Berry’s contract- over $8 mil in dead money and stil won the AFC championship in 2020.

The general idea is here is sometimes moving on from a bad deal is worth it even if it hurts now. This team needs to make some bold moves.

Maybe the Cowboys SHOULD make Zeke a post June 1 cut and just bite that bad contract bullet. Because we could acquire younger cheaper RB talent in the upcoming draft and pair that RB with TonyPollard who is in the last year of his “cheap rookie deal”.

If I was GM, I would strongly consider it.

I understand the premise of your post....but it is moving chairs around on the Titanic. In Dallas....talent alone will not cut it. You MUST overcome the Jones boys as well. We have NOTHING with Mick McCarthy. I repeat....we have....NOTHING. The blunders he has made you don't even expect from a middle school coach. First of all...his clock management issues should NEVER happen at this level. Especially from someone "coaching" as long as he has. But they absolutely should not happen 3 - 4 times in the SAME year....that is PROOF of his "work ethic". When Jerry hired him and TOLD him Kellen Moore would be the playcaller...that essentially put Mike on cruise control. And he's proven to be pretty good at driving on cruise control.

He doesn't call offensive plays. He doesn't call defensive plays. He hired Mike Nolan as a "return favor"...that lasted a year before Nolan proved to be the disaster he's always been. Dan Quinn was NOT a Mike hire. And in one year Dan proved how bad Mike Nolan was and he proved to be the best coach Dallas has hired since Parcells. So his few responsibilities are getting the team ready to play, throwing the challenge flag, going for it on 4th and clock management. He get's a 'D' in those categories. So we have a below average coach. In a below average division. A division with terrible QB play. And that promptly gets us bounced at home in the wild card round. In a game where smart football people shouted from the mountain top that Dallas was going to lose, they told everyone that would listen how we were going to lose....and we lost exactly how they said we would. Kyle Shanahann vs Mike McCarty was not a fair fight yesterday...would not be a fair fight today....will never be fair fight going forward. We have NOTHING with Mike McCarthy!

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Did you hear Stephen talking about Zeke at the combines? Honestly, after what I hear yesterday, I'm not sure a healthy Zeke will get cut after next season. Restructured maybe but not cut.........not hard to see he's one of Stephen's favorite players. Doesn't sound like he's blaming Zeke for our running game issues.

 

[CashMan]

Thats why i am against restructuring the QBs contract. I want out from under that cap killer ASAP.

I am not saying Dak is Dan Marino, just sit back and remember the days of Anthony Wright, Clint Stoerner, and Ryan Leaf.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Yeah, I just think the Cowboys need to make some bold moves. (They won’t) Keeping Zeke another year in my view is a mistake. Having Pollard paired with a mid-round rookie RB sounds good to me. I would cut Cooper and DLaw too. Those guys are good players but players are only as valuable as the playoff wins they get you.

Bob, you talk like someone who is completely unaware that its yacht season. The trade winds are blowing in the Caribbean..... the sun is shining........ you expect way too much of the Jones boys who have had an exhausting season cheering from the owners box. The feelings of consternation......befuddlement.....happiness,,,,anger......having to express it all in pressers and radio shows...... it all adds up to a lot of stress. They need to re-charge and refresh so we can have the best version of Stephen and Jerry.

Its easy to talk about potential moves and contracts only b/c you have the luxury of sitting at home on your keyboard and thinking about it. You have no idea what its like to keep a captain and crew for 365 days just so you can have these 6-8 weeks every year. So check your privilege and let the Jones have a vacation in peace.

The best advice I ever got is why do today what you can do tomorrow? (write that down).

 

[Vinnie2u]

Everyone said Jaylon Smith was uncuttable Blah Blah. Some like me said Teams find a way to get rid of underachieving players. Even tho Zeke is a JAG at this point he at least brings something to the table.. As soon they find a better option he is gone.. Salary don't matter...

 

[fivetwos]

Granted I believe these contracts were bad but what is worse is our culture and coaching have allowed the players talent to erode the point where they can never come close to living up to the contract.
If all these players lived up to their contracts and played with a level of pride and accountability I think it would have been possible to make it to a super bowl.

With the culture we have I'm not sure if we can ever accumulate enough young players on their rookie contracts That can get us over the hump before Jerry ruins them

I have a feeling Parsons is headed there as we speak.

How long before he uses the word "brand?"

This organization is absolutely toxic, and the players learn how to make winning secondary very quickly....

It's gonna take a lot to push me away for good but I'm not gonna put up with it forever.

 

[glimmerman]

Elliot will be here 2022. Money guaranteed. If healthy he will be a very good RB if O-Line is fixed. Same with Pollard. Look to see how Pollards foot holds up this year. If so we could keep Pollard cheaper than Elliot in 2023.

 

[fivetwos]

I know the conventional wisdom is because of that bad contract with Zeke ($90 mil over 6 years) we’re basically stuck with him another year. The cap hit if they cut him next year (as I understand it) would be $12 million.

But is it really totally inconceivable?

Look at the two big moves the SB champion rams did- one last off season and the other two seasons earlier; and some other cap hit moves good teams made:

• In order to make the Matt Stafford trade they had to take a $24 million dead money hit to move on from Jared Goff. They basically took on some dead money to get Stafford. The Jones boys would never make a move like that.
• In 2019, the rams ate a ton of RB Todd Gurley’s $60 million dollar contract by making him a post June 1 cut. They took on an $11.75 million dollar cap hit for Gurley, and two years later they won a SB.
• And don’t forget the rams carried a $9 million cap hit from WR Brandin Cooks last year.
• After the 2019 season, the chiefs basically ate the last year of S Eric Berry’s contract- over $8 mil in dead money and stil won the AFC championship in 2020.

The general idea is here is sometimes moving on from a bad deal is worth it even if it hurts now. This team needs to make some bold moves.

Maybe the Cowboys SHOULD make Zeke a post June 1 cut and just bite that bad contract bullet. Because we could acquire younger cheaper RB talent in the upcoming draft and pair that RB with TonyPollard who is in the last year of his “cheap rookie deal”.

If I was GM, I would strongly consider it.

I like the point overall, and I can't stand Ezekiel Elliott....and am counting the minutes until that clown is off my team.....BUT......

A post June 1 cut means we have to find an additional 18 million in cap room.

Who else do we have to cut and/or not resign in order to do that?

They STILL have to pay him 12.4 million to not be on the team.

That's the difference between this case and Gurley......the ridiculous structure that Jerry agreed to....four years of being cap suicide if they cut him.

Gurley also took home 21 million at signing, Elliott 7 million, so that was probably the tradeoff.....another awful decision.

Then we have to listen to "we are lucky to have him."

Yeah I know.....what are they supposed to say?? How about nothing for a change?

 

[DasTex]

Zeke looked great the first 5 games of the season. I'm not sure how everyone forgets that.

I hate the bloated contract for a RB just as much as the rest, however I would roll the dice one more year for a healthy Zeke than take the cap hit now.