The Cowboys could release Ezekiel Elliott as early as Wednesday, ending the running back’s seven-year tenure in Dallas, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr.
Though the veteran has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, the move comes after two years of uncertainty for the once-productive Elliott and his future with the team. After exploring multiple options—including the veteran reportedly being willing to take a pay cut to stay—it appears the 27-year-old’s era in Dallas is over.
Sources tell Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer that the move is not official but is likely. Hill noted that Elliott will be a post-June 1 release, saving the Cowboys $10.9 million. Dallas is set to carry a $16.2 million cap charge until then and will take on $5.82 million of dead cap in 2023 and $6.04 million in ’24.
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A mainstay of the Cowboys’ offense from 2016 to ’19, the No. 4 pick in the ’16 draft led the league in carries and yards that year and in ’18, years he received Pro Bowl nods as one of the most productive members of Jerry Jones’s team. However, injuries and the emergence of Tony Pollard led to uncertainty about Elliott’s longevity with the team. The veteran had career lows in carries (231) and yards (876) last season.
He will now join a relatively slow running-back market. With David Montgomery set to sign a three-year, $18 million deal with the Lions when the league year begins on Wednesday at 4 p.m., Elliott and former Chargers RB Austin Ekeler—who was granted permission to seek a trade—headlining the market.
