Cowboys: Was Ezekiel Elliott the holdup for paying Zack Martin?

The Cowboys extended guard Zack Martin just hours before Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Patriots. The timing is suspect…

Within the span of one day, the Dallas Cowboys extended All-Pro guard Zack Martin and saw former running back Ezekiel Elliott find a new home. Coincidence? Maybe.

In the event that there is in fact some correlation between the two deals, it’s not difficult to imagine that the Cowboys may have been trying to bring Zeke back this offseason.

Ever since Dallas released the veteran ball-carrier early in the offseason, many still believed Elliott and the Cowboys would find a way back to each other. The Cowboys had learned their lesson on overpaying at the RB position; however, even with Tony Pollard taking the top spot on the depth chart, Elliott could realistically sign a cheap, short-term deal to stay with the only home he’s ever known.

Instead, on Monday, Elliott joined the Patriots on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with incentives.

Compare that number to the $4.5 million raise Zack Martin got in his new extension. Roughly an hour before the Elliott news broke, Martin and the Cowboys agreed to a reworked deal in which Martin will receive fully guaranteed $18 million in each of his next two seasons. Prior to the deal, Martin was set to make $13.5 million this year and $14 million next year.

Cowboys: Zack Martin extension happening right before Ezekiel Elliott signing is suspicious

This is pure conjecture, but is it possible the Cowboys wanted to bring Elliott back on a cheap deal, which is why the Zack Martin extension got dragged out for the last 21 days?

One would assume Dallas was not willing to pay Elliott the $6 million that the Pats were ready to offer him. Once they got the sense that Elliott was going to take more money and sign with New England, the Cowboys used their theoretical “Bring Back Zeke” fund to pay Martin instead.

It’s a reach, yet given Jerry Jones’ public love for Elliott and refusal to close the door on a potential happy reunion, we wouldn’t put it past the Cowboys’ front office.

Both Martin and Elliott closed out the offseason as true winners: Martin got a much-deserved raise and will stay a Cowboy; he reportedly never wanted to play anywhere else.

Elliott’s ties to Dallas run less deep despite spending the last seven years there, and he was chasing the money as so many other players at his position were. Had the Cowboys given him a $6 million contract, would Elliott have chosen differently? No point in dwelling on what-ifs. Better to dwell on what’s done, and that’s the Zack Martin deal that should keep the future Hall-of-Famer happy in Dallas for the next several years.