awesome Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
logo pin on his jacket. Of course, he won it this year,
he was acknowledged at the Super Bowl and he got booed
because there were a bunch of Eagles fans in the building.
Shame, Shame
Walter Payton Man of the Year Dak Prescott, congratulations
on that now. Is he kuali gone? And I can't fathom this Peter,
and we've done this before. Emmitt Smith, left the Cowboys
Tom Brady, left, the Patriots,
Aaron Rodgers is leaving the Packers. I
I just can't visualize Ezekiel Elliott wearing any uniform
other than the Dallas Cowboys. I thought they'd worked
something out and keep him around to reduce salary, but
this is where we are. He's released, we knew this was
coming or what happened last year, frankly, but for
a contract structure
that guaranteed is 20/20 to pay
in 2021. We've reached the end of the guarantees,
he's gone. He had an eight-figure salary,
they're paying Tony Pollard, 10 .1 million this year, under
the franchise tag. So, free agent
Ezekiel Elliott on the market
and we see what happens next and there is I'm told of slim
chance but not
I think slim is even overstating it that he goes
back to the Cowboys. I think he's going to pick his next
destination and he's going to try to find a spot where he can
do what he hasn't done in Dallas which is at least get to
a conference Championship game.
So,
you know, I don't think that you can look back on that
contract. He signed in 2019
and say it was a bad idea or a bad deal by the Cowboys.
I will only say that
the Dallas Cowboys 44 years of Ezekiel Elliott,
The last four years.
Paid 50 point, 1 million dollars.
And got on average
a 1054 yard season over those four years now. That's not bad.
And that's not. I wouldn't even be all that critical of it.
But to me, Ezekiel Elliott is a great example.
Why
as unfortunate as it is for running backs?
Ezekiel Ellie is great idea. Great example why you don't pay
running backs anymore
you know you don't pay them a huge second contract. It's why
in my opinion the Minnesota Vikings who paid Alexander
Madison. Some this week
I would be surprised now if they now go and pay
Dalvin cook
and and the whole reason is Mike that over the last two
years.
Anyone can see that the most important most valuable running
back on the Dallas Cowboys has been Tony Pollard who they got
for a song.
You know a lightly regarded guy who just came in and kept
playing better than Ezekiel Elliott over the last two
years.
Averaged one yard more per carry over the last couple of
years than Ezekiel Elliott did
and it's not again, this is not being critical.
Of of Elliot it's simply stating the fact that there are
a lot of people
who can do this job and to pay one of them,
12 million a year on average over the last four years.
And I understand Jerry Jones. Took him high in 2016, fourth
or fifth pick overall. And I understand that there's
a certain affection
that you want this guy to work that you want it all to happen
and he wanted to be great.
And again I just think it's a great illustration
of why you don't pay running backs. Huge money.
Well, the supply, outweighs the demand plain and simple and
the problem is Sims and I were talking about this earlier in
the week for a lot of these guys. The best years happen
under slotted rookie contracts, where no one can do anything
about it. You can't
get a new deal until 3 years in if you're a draft pick. So
the team just sits back, watches The Yards rack up
the touchdowns, hit the board,
and we're in a great spot. We're spending money on other
players, then if you have a guy who becomes a star, you have to
pay him and the one thing I'll say about the Cowboys contract
and it is
22 there's no way they would have paid him twelve point four
million last year if that money hadn't become fully guaranteed
in 2021 and they weren't going to cut him in 2021 after paying
him for two years and owing him. His full salary
for 2021 they just weren't going to do it. So
they overplayed their negotiating hand both with
Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott and got themselves
into very difficult contracts with both players. By thinking
they could do the
you play for the Cowboys. You'll make plenty of money off
the field. Why don't you do it?
Favor for us and do a Team, friendly deal. And both guys
refused to do it and Elliot made a lot more money than he
would have by holding firm and Prescott has
as well, so, we'll see if the Cowboys
Miss. Play it with some of these star players, they're
going to have coming up and try to get them to do. Team
Friendly Deals and have it. Blow up in their face is
because both guys Elliot and Prescott blew up in the faces
of the Cowboys
and they paid both of them a lot more
than they would have had to.
If they would have been more reasonable
on the front end and now as
I said, Elliot, I'm told he's looking closely at scheme.
Coaching staff, how much they run the ball and he wants to
win. He said, well, he's one in Dallas. He wants to win more
than he's won in Dallas and
and that narrows the universe of teams
to the high-end contenders and you have to ask yourself, you
know what, the Buffalo Bills make a play for Ezekiel
Elliott? Wouldn't that be something if you had him and
then there's the question to Peter of how much gas is left
in the tank and for what it costs you to bring in Ezekiel
Elliott and The
expectation that you'll be feeding him the ball over and
over and over again, especially if you pay significant money to
get him, you can draft someone you draft, the right guy in
round 4, he could be a superstar right out of
the gates
that's to your point that there's just plenty of guys out
there that can do it. Why overspend for any one of them.
And it's that's what I say about running backs right now,
you notice this week, you know, have you heard one thing about
Kareem hunt?
I mean, Kareem hunt won the NFL rushing title in 2017
has been
sort of a distant number two in Cleveland, you know, almost
since then Mike,
you know. So so I,
I think it is basically teams. He's saying,
we're going to budget x amount of dollars
for the running back position.
I would bet that
Kareem Hunt is sitting there saying, okay,
I'm waiting for the one team that's going to pay me X.
I don't know. Seven million a year, I
invent the number, I don't know. And people are saying,
why should we do that? Because there are other guys out here
that we like who we can pay four million a year to
and or going to play really well for us
or
Who we can take in the third round or fourth round and then
we're paying them. 1.7 million a year or whatever the number
would be.
So running backs. You said it. You said
you know the supply far outstrips and Far outweighs
you know the demand that
NFL teams have at the running back position.
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