Ezekiel Elliott named Dallas Cowboys most overpaid player

Ezekiel Elliott was called just one of many overpaid Dallas Cowboys

NFL contracts are always a huge discussion during the offseason, especially when big money is being thrown around. And for the Dallas Cowboys, there have been some huge dollar amounts thrown out over the past couple of offseasons.

Ahead of the 2019 NFL season, there were two very public contract disputes with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and running back Ezekiel Elliott each trying to get paid. Both players ended up getting what they wanted but that was only the beginning of the contract talks in Big D.

That’s because this offseason saw quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper both set for free agency. Cooper landed a multi-year deal whereas Dak was franchise tagged which will still make him a very rich man in 2020.

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Unfortunately for Dallas, all four of these players were tossed around as their possible most overpaid player. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report identified the most overpaid guy on every NFL roster and for Dallas, he settled on Elliott, while saying the other recent signings also had great merit for the less-than-illustrious title.

"“DeMarcus Lawrence—the third-highest-paid defensive player in the NFL—is coming off a five-sack season, with that total plummeting for the second year in a row. Dak Prescott wasn’t even a Pro Bowler last year but is slated to carry the league’s largest salary-cap hit next season. And Cooper is the league’s second-highest-paid wide receiver, even though he ranked outside the top five in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2019.” — Gagnon, Bleacher Report"

From there, Gagnon went on to explain his reasoning for selecting Elliott and his six-year, $90 million ($50.1 million guaranteed) as the most lopsided on the team. The biggest reason was his drop in yards per game last season as he went from 96.5 to 84.8.

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Some of the blame for that was the shift in offensive philosophy as new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was more focused on the passing game than Scott Linehan was in years prior.

However, that’s a huge part of the problem when it comes to paying a running back big money. In today’s day and age, NFL offenses are much more focused on the pass than the running game. That in itself leaves nearly any running back that gets a big deal vulnerable to the dreaded “overpaid” title.

As for Elliott, it’s no secret that 2019 wasn’t his most efficient season but even with his overall numbers taking a dip, he still finished with 1,357 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns. He also added another 420 yards and two touchdowns on 54 receptions.

He’s proven in his four seasons that he can be a weapon in both the running game and the passing game. He’s also one of the more selfless blockers when it comes to picking up the blitz as he seems to take a free runner as an insult and unleashes punishment on them for daring to come through the line.

On top of this, the term ‘overpaid’ is relative. Year after year, players are labeled as overpaid when they set the market for their positions, yet in a matter of years, they’re not even in the top five.

Take, for example, Derek Carr. The Raiders quarterback signed a five-year $125 million deal in 2017 making him the highest-paid player in the league at the time. Carr was widely criticized at the time and mocked as overpaid.

However, he now enters 2020 as the 14th highest-paid at his position in terms of average salary according to OverTheCap.com.

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With all that being said, the Cowboys paid Elliott to be one of the best at his position and he continues to be that. There’s always a risk of injury or drop off at running back but as long as he stays healthy, he’s going to earn his money.

And before long, he might not even be one of the top paid.

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