Cowboys Didn't Want to Insult Ezekiel Elliott by Offering Pay Cut, Stephen Jones Says

The Dallas Cowboys surprised many when they released star running back Ezekiel Elliott earlier this month, and executive vice president Stephen Jones revealed the reason why Elliott wasn't offered a pay cut before parting ways with the team.

"The last thing we want to do is do anything that would be insulting to a player, to a great player, like Zeke, who was one of the best players to ever put on a Cowboys uniform," Stephen Jones said, per Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. "There are sensitivities when you get into making offers."

Elliott was originally set to count for $16.7 million against the cap, and Dallas freed up $10.9 million in space by releasing him. The team also incurred a dead-money hit of $5.8 million for the 2024 season.

Jones compared the release of Elliott to those of Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and DeMarcus Ware:

"There was no joy when Emmitt went to Arizona. There was no joy when DeMarcus went to Denver. But you look up and there's a lot of good will still between DeMarcus and the Cowboys, you see him around the building all the time. Emmitt Smith, you see around the building all the time. I think for the most part we've worked through these tough situations in a good way and hopefully we're doing it in spades with Zeke because there's nothing but love and respect for Zeke Elliott."

The writing was on the wall that Elliott was expendable after the Cowboys placed their franchise tag on running back Tony Pollard, which will cost $10.1 million this year. The 25-year-old earned his first selection to the Pro Bowl after posting 1,007 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while also adding 371 receiving yards and three more scores.

Elliott's production has waned in recent seasons after being hobbled by various injuries. The 2016 No. 4 pick ran for just 876 yards and 12 touchdowns despite notching 231 carries compared to Pollard's 193. His average of 3.8 yards per carry was the lowest mark of his career.

While Elliott remains unsigned, the Cowboys didn't rule out the possibility of a reunion.

"Wish him nothing but the best if it turns out he didn't return," Jones said. "But we never rule anything out around here."