Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he’s not concerned if negotiations on Zeke Elliott’s holdout drag months into the season.
Jerry Jones talked to the media after practice Thursday and when asked about a potential breaking point in negotiations with holdout running back Zeke Elliott, Jones said he’s not concerned.
"I don’t see a point,” said the Cowboys owner. "I don’t see a point months into the season.”
We’re a week into Elliott’s holdout. The standout running back has set up shop in Cabo. Jones says he’s not all concerned about Elliott’s preparation while he’s there. In fact, Jones was doing his best to portray someone in no hurry to get a deal done.
"When have I ever not done one,” Jones asked media members. "So, I don’t worry about that. You just keep plugging. I don’t want to be a cliche’ it’s what we tell these guys. It’s just one foot in front of the other.”
Jones didn’t have a good answer when pressed about how a Cowboys offense centered around Elliott could function without the two-time NFL rushing champion. Jones mentioned the addition of Alfred Morris and his relative effectiveness when Elliott missed time on suspension. But the truth is the Cowboys will struggle to maintain contender-status as long as the stalemate continues.
And should negotiations hit a brick wall for a prolonged period of time, Jones knows Elliott could face tough decisions. The first date of interest is August 6 when Elliott could forfeit accruing a season, thereby pushing back his ability to be a free agent by another year. The deadline won't come into play, however, should the Cowboys and Elliott eventually strike a deal.
"I’m very satisfied with long term with Zeke,” said Jones. "There is that in place. We do have agreements and we do have contracts so I’m very satisfied with that. I don’t think that’s the best way for us to go at all, but as far as doing something that would disrupt and shake the base of our plans for how to keep the talent we’ve got here, I’m not about to shake that loose over that concern."
While the Cowboys seemingly dig in, we wait for someone to blink.
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