If Dallas starts 4-0 without Zeke

[bulldogbaja]

will he ever wear a Cowboys uniform again?
He's a special talent but RB in the NFL is a next-man-up position. I actually see him potentially hurting his value by holding out.

 

[Drebin]

will he ever wear a Cowboys uniform again?
He's a special talent but RB in the NFL is a next-man-up position. I actually see him potentially hurting his value by holding out.

Zeke has no leverage. He has to play in at least six games this year (I think that is the number) per the collective bargaining agreement. He will be back. And he will have to like it.

He will definitely hurt is value to Dallas if Pollard steps up and performs well. But someone will pay him when he's a free agent. That's not until 2021, however. Like I said, no leverage.

 

[Arthur2478]

when he's a free agent. That's not until 2021, however. Like I said, no leverage.

Dallas could also choose to franchise him in 2021 (and I think maybe in 2022 too). He's literally has zero leverage. If Jerry refuses to bend, he could keep Zeke for at least 3 more seasons and there's nothing Zeke could do about it (other than sit out and get paid zero).

 

[SirBarksalot]

Zeke has no leverage. He has to play in at least six games this year (I think that is the number) per the collective bargaining agreement.

Can you point to a source? I’m curious to read about it. I’ve not been able to find it.

 

[Drebin]

Can you point to a source? I’m curious to read about it. I’ve not been able to find it.

I don't have a link, but I heard someone mention it on a sports show. It has something to do with accruing service time.

 

[WrapItDog]

Can you point to a source? I’m curious to read about it. I’ve not been able to find it.

Signed through 2020, Elliott risks tolling his contract for a full year if he doesn’t show up in time to get credit for the fourth year of his five-year rookie deal. Under the Joey Galloway arbitration precedent from nearly 20 years ago, a player under contract gets credit for the contract year by playing in eight games.

Given the possibility that the Cowboys will request and receive a roster exemption of up to three weeks when Elliott returns, his best move would be to show up right after Week Six. That way, he’s guaranteed to be available for eight games — from Week 10 (a Sunday night contest vs. the Vikings) through Week 17 — even if the Cowboys use the maximum roster exemption.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...kiel-elliott-return-in-october-at-the-latest/

 

[ezsoil]

will he ever wear a Cowboys uniform again?
He's a special talent but RB in the NFL is a next-man-up position. I actually see him potentially hurting his value by holding out.

Well if he does not report....I can easily see him slapping a stripper and he will be done forever.....

 

[shotgunDawg]

I get the financial side here of the NFL, but Zeke is really coming across as a POS after missing so many games due to suspension & having multiple years left on his rookie deal.

Someone has given him awful advice on building a brand. However, I wouldn't have expected anything less when you consider the type of people he likely surrounds himself with

I'd consider doing nothing & walking away if I'm the Cowboys

 

[Drebin]

I get the financial side here of the NFL, but Zeke is really coming across as a POS after missing so many games due to suspension & having multiple years left on his rookie deal.

Someone has given him awful advice on building a brand. However, I wouldn't have expected anything less when you consider the type of people he likely surrounds himself with

I'd consider doing nothing & walking away if I'm the Cowboys

Especially considering how much the Cowboys have gone to bat for him throughout his career for his off-the-field issues.

 

[Rupert Jenkins]

I'm pretty sure if I was Jerry I would not redo his contract. If he played it out in good faith and was a good soldier I would reward him but he should honor his contract. Dak is the one deserving extra money and they have got to get a reciever or two.

 

[WrapItDog]

Zeke holding out may benefit Dak more than Zeke. If Dak can get them to 4-2 or better in the first six weeks he can shut up some of the talking heads that say Dak can't carry the team and win without Zeke.

 

[Go Budaw]

I get the financial side here of the NFL, but Zeke is really coming across as a POS after missing so many games due to suspension & having multiple years left on his rookie deal.

Someone has given him awful advice on building a brand. However, I wouldn't have expected anything less when you consider the type of people he likely surrounds himself with

I'd consider doing nothing & walking away if I'm the Cowboys

The suspension wasn’t really his fault, it was just Goodell being Goodell and believing an uncredible witness with an ax to grind. There were no charges and there was no evidence whatsoever that Zeke did what he was accused of doing. Most everyone, including the Dallas front office, knows what happened there.

The contract situation is what really makes him look like a dumbass though. When he got drafted, he could have signed a deal with no team option for the 5th year if he wanted a bigger payday sooner. But he didn’t, and now he’s retroactively trying to get that big money for this season. It would set a horrible precedent for the entire league for Dallas to give in to whatever he asks with 2 years left on his deal.

 

[WrapItDog]

When he got drafted, he could have signed a deal with no team option for the 5th year if he wanted a bigger payday sooner.

Every player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft will automatically have a Fifth-Year Option added in his contract.

 

[dorndawg]

If RB is so expendable in the NFL, why did the Cowboys draft him where they did, and then bask in the glow of their choice ever since?

I do agree Zeke's position is low leverage and really only improves if the cowboys start out 0-2 which is unlikely anyhow.

 

[Go Budaw]

Every player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft will automatically have a Fifth-Year Option added in his contract.

I didn’t realize that it was automatic, but knew it was certainly very common. Since it is automatic, Zeke should have known this and asked for more money, or refused to sign with Dallas from the get go and held out for the 2016 draft. Either way, he’s bound by the contract he signed and by the CBA. He isn’t some special entity that deserves an early extension if it doesn’t work for the team’s best interests.

 

[MarkDallas]

Trade him. Value is peaking. Get some good picks.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Bc it’s flashy. Dumb but flashy.

 

[PineGroveBully]

Even if he didn't deserve that suspension, most times in life you deserve the reputation you earn. So he will get no more benefit of the doubts.

Even his dad told the Cowboys that he was immature and wasn't ready for this. The most disappointing thing about Zeke to me is that no matter how many and how big of mistakes, he never learns from them.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Unintended consequences. I understood the need for some sort of rookie pay scale because the draftees were getting paid way above their value. Veterans were getting cut because the teams overpaid unproven players and had to then deal with the cap. So the NFLPA fell for this ridiculous agreement that salaries were limited for players first 4 or 5 years. Silly for a business where 3 years is the average length of service.

The NFLPA needs to tie first 4 year pay scales to performance. That way a rookie is subject to some limitation. Once they out perform some reasonable definition for a "player at that position" and/or play a certain percentage of plays during a year, there should be some automatic elevators. This way if a rookie running back leads the league in rushing, he can get paid the next year more inline where he should be. A defensive lineman who has played in 75% of the snaps and has 10 sacks would also be compensated more in line with his actual value. If that first round QB is a bust the team has been protected from a ridiculous contract.

 

[archdog]

I say let every player be a free agent every season. They get paid when and how they are projected in a direct ratio to their potential earnings. This also lets someone like the Brown 17 up and get good every once in a while.

NFL contracts don't mean anything anyway.

 

[msstate7]

Trade him. Value is peaking. Get some good picks.

A RB holding out for the biggest position contract isn't exactly a peak value time

 

[MarkDallas]

A RB holding out for the biggest position contract isn't exactly a peak value time

He's in his prime.