Rebuilding his reputation? He is the first player to ever hold out with 2 years remaining on his contract.
I believe he will never be that back again and I believe he believes that more than I. That's why he did what he did when he did it. He knew the years of contact of being a power back and a contact back on plays when he didn't have the ball had taken their toll.
Elliott would tap out when he sensed his energy level to be the type back he is was running low because at 80%, he's barely a serviceable back, let alone an elite one. Those fumbles this year were happening as the 2nd through the 4th tackler would make contact and they had seen how he carried the ball once contact began.
He held out because he knew this would be the only time in his career that he could get the big bucks and he knew the QB, WR and some others would be coming up, he needed to strike while the cap was more forgiving. One thing we need to keep in mind about Elliott, he's very smart, he could have gotten academic scholarships as well as the athletic.
He can still be a top 10 RB, maybe even crack the top 5 but he will not be worth that contract, no RB is. There is no good reason to ever give a RB a 2nd contract. A player like Emmitt was the exception, not even close to the rule.