Ezekiel Elliott’s response to ‘overpaid’ label is hard to argue with

Ezekiel Elliott is taking accountability for his performance in an effort to stick with the Dallas Cowboys.

A glaring reason the Dallas Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs is that Tony Pollard went out with an injury. The Cowboys rushed for just 76 yards in that game, Ezekiel Elliott’s 2.6 yards per carry a far cry from Pollard’s seasonal 5.2 average.

Pollard, who broke his leg and suffered a high ankle sprain in the game, has had a great year that has had some question the value the team is getting from Zeke. Pollard had a breakout year this season, making his first Pro Bowl game.

So, what to do with Zeke? There haven’t been bites at the trade deadline on him.

“Overpaid” is a label applied to players like Zeke. Fans are understandably upset with his performance, given that he carries the fifth-highest cap hit on the team in 2023.

Normally, players in Zeke’s position take that money and run, but Elliott appears open to a restructure, perhaps because he sees the writing on the wall about a potential release if he doesn’t open himself up to this.

Ezekiel Elliott might agree with your ‘overpaid’ opinion, surprisingly, and he’ll take less to prove it

Call Ezekiel Elliott ‘overpaid’ and his reaction might surprise you. He’d likely agree with that assessment, if we are to learn anything from the reports that he’s open to a restructuring so he can stay with the Dallas Cowboys, according to Michael Gehlkin of Dallas News.

The Cowboys can also release Elliott and take a lower cap hit. So there are options on Dallas’s end of the deal to consider.

Elliott hasn’t put up an average of 4.5 yards per carry or more since 2019 and didn’t even get past 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season for the first time in his career. Pollard is clearly the No. 1 back and would need to take on a new role commensurate with a lower salary to stay in Dallas.

He and quarterback Dak Prescott are close. The state income tax is zero in Texas. There are reasons to want to stay. But at this point, the ball is in Dallas’s court.