Report: Former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott closing in on potential deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is reportedly close to signing a new deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Fowler reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could potentially sign Elliott as a No. 2 running back to pair with Rachaad White.
The Cowboys released Elliott this offseason after seven seasons with the team. Dallas is forging ahead with Tony Pollard after placing the 2023 franchise tag on the former Memphis standout.
According to Fowler, Elliott making a return to the Cowboys instead of signing with a new team is “still an option.” Team owner Jerry Jones made it clear that the team hasn’t fully closed the door on the possibility but said he didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.
The former Ohio State star led the Dallas rushing attack in every season that he played except in 2022. Pollard overtook Elliott and posted his first 1,000-yard rushing season, earning his first Pro Bowl nod as well. The former first-rounder had 876 rushing yards in the regular season and just 53 rushing yards in the two postseason games.
As a free agent, Elliott is free to sign with a new team at any time. The Buccaneers currently have $1,468,391 in cap space, which is the lowest among the 32 NFL teams after the draft, according to the NFLPA Public Salary Cap Report.
In 2022, Elliott was playing on his six-year, $90 million deal that he signed in September of 2019. At the time, it was the largest deal signed by a running back.
Dak Prescott eager to get Elliott back in Dallas
Dak Prescott certainly wouldn’t mind getting back together with his old pal. He claims to not be the only one either.
“That sure would be nice,” Prescott said via The Adam Schefter Podcast. “There are a lot of people not only on the team but in the organization that would love that. I’m sure Zeke would as well. … Hopefully that could happen.”
The Cowboys made a predominantly financial decision when letting go of Elliott. They saved as much as $11 million in cap room by getting rid of the contract, which was one of the five largest on the team.
According to a late March report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, three teams had Elliott’s interest. However, the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals all had members of their organizations discredit interest from their side of things.
