Cowboys Rumors: NFLPA Looking into Dallas Circumventing Agents in Contract Talks

A new layer has been added to the Dallas Cowboys' ongoing contract negotiations, according to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio. 

"Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL Players Association views the situation as 'not good,' and currently is doing its due diligence before taking any official action and/or issuing any formal statement," Florio wrote Wednesday night, referencing the Cowboys' tendency to cut out players' agents in contract talks.

The report comes after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted to preferring dealing directly with players:

Dallas' contract situation is three-pronged: quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and receiver Amari Cooper are each seeking extensions. The rockiest negotiation among the three has been Elliott, who has been holding out since the start of training camp and remains away from the team while training in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Jones and Elliott's agent, Rocky Arceneaux, didn't see eye-to-eye last week when Jones joked, "Zeke who?" 

"I didn't think it was funny and neither did Zeke," Arceneaux told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Aug. 19. "We actually thought it was disrespectful." 

Prescott and Cooper are each heading into the final year of their respective contracts, while Elliott isn't set to enter free agency until 2021.