Could Dallas Cowboys trade Ezekiel Elliott ahead of 2021?

Could the Dallas Cowboys find a trade partner for Ezekiel Elliott?

It seemed as though the Dallas Cowboys understood the golden rule of football — never pay a running back. After DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards, Dallas elected not to re-sign him. Instead, Murray got a five-year $42 million deal with their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Murray proved to be a bust as he lasted one season in Philly, gaining just 702 yards while averaging 3.6 yards per rush. Despite the fact that Dallas looked so wise here, they then broke their own rule by giving Ezekiel Elliott a massive extension in 2019.

Cowboys fans remember this all too well as Elliott held out ahead of the season and Dallas finally gave in, signing Zeke to a six-year extension that added $90 million to his deal. Elliott then promptly rejoined the team and has not been the player we saw early in his career.

He no longer seems to have the breakaway speed and this season without Dak Prescott, he has just 832 yards and five touchdowns while averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per rush. That has led to some speculation about his future in Big D and Chris Roling of Bleacher Report suggests he could be traded in the offseason — with the New York Jets being a potential landing spot in exchange for a second-round pick.

"“Those Jets could send a second-rounder to the Cowboys for Elliott, who they can use to absorb workhorse punishment while a rookie learns on the fly. The front office could then use the out in Elliott’s contract after the 2022 season.” — Roling, Bleacher Report"

Roling goes on to say that Elliott would be a good addition for Lawrence since he can take a lot of punishment as a runner, helping the young quarterback as he transitions to the NFL. Of course, the Jets already had a similar situation where they signed Le’Veon Bell to a huge contract to work alongside Sam Darnold.

The result is a winless franchise that no longer employs Bell (he lasted just 17 games with them). Roling thinks of that as well, citing an out in Elliott’s contract in 2022, meaning they would send a second-round pick for a one-year rental.

That feels like a steep price for a rental when New York could just draft a running back in the second. Especially since they’ve already been down the unfriendly road of paying a running back.

Then again, the Cowboys didn’t learn their lesson when they were right on DeMarco Murray, so maybe the Jets didn’t learn their lesson with Le’Veon Bell. If so, this trade would be possible.