FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - There is a grassroots movement afoot in Cowboys Nation that suggests the Dallas Cowboys' solution to their contract-extension impasse with running back Ezekiel Elliott might be ... to trade him.
This "movement'' involving birthday guy Elliott (Monday marks his 24th) arrives hand-in-hand with the distinct possibility that he might skip the team's Thursday arrival at training camp in Oxnard in contract-seeking protest. That's a real concern (regardless of whether he spends the next few days "vacationing out of the country'' or vacationing on Lake Lewisville; what's the difference?). But we expect Zeke to be in Oxnard attendance far sooner than some observers do -- and we think this is a story with components that need to be nailed down just right.
The Cowboys are not going to trade Ezekiel Elliott. And here are the three reasons why:
1) His holdout isn't really likely to be much of a holdout. As you read first here on 105.3 The Fan (and along with Yahoo's Charles Robinson), the "30-Day Rule'' almost demands that Elliott show up to work by Aug. 6 (30 days before the star of the NFL season) lest he forfeit an accrued year toward eventually free agency.
Could Elliott sit beyond Aug. 6? In theory, just as any Cowboys player could hold out from camp's start, sure, Zeke or any other player could take his ball and go home on whatever date. (Worth noting: Our understanding is that Elliott offensive teammates Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, both also involved in extension talks, have no plans to skip.) But if agent Rocky Arceneau's goal is to maximize Zeke's career earnings? A holdout beyond Aug. 5, let alone a holdout that eats into his 2019 season, actually does the reverse of that.
2) If Elliott is absolutely and positively unhappy with his coming salaries ($3.8 million this year and $9.09 million in 2020) he certainly could stage, on principle, an extended protest. Hey, the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell did it, missing the entirety of 2018.
But you know what else Bell missed out on? His scheduled $14.5 mil salary. That's money he was never going to get back .. and a wage that precious few other teams would've been willing to pay him.
That's one of the reasons the Steelers didn't trade Bell last year (he has since landed with the Jets, who had bountiful cap room that allowed them to overspend). And in a way, it'll be one of the reasons no team would trade for Zeke:
How many franchises are there that are prepared to not only give Dallas whatever draft-pick capital is agreed up, but to also give Zeke the new Gurley-esque $14-million APY contract that the Joneses have openly (maybe foolishly) discussed?
We'll concede this: There is a great discussion to be had about whether "Zeke might just be crazy enough to do it!'' vs. "Zeke is too great a teammate and too much of a loyalty guy'' to do that to the Cowboys ... and to paternal owner Jerry Jones.
But think about it: If Zeke is holding out from Dallas because he makes only $3.8 million, why would he show up for work with a new employer unless it is prepared to give him the new, gigantic contract that is so out-of-vogue?
3) Elliott might very well be the best player on Dallas' loaded roster. He is without a doubt its "best young'' player, as at 24 he is already a two-time rushing champ and a perennial Pro Bowler. And he's the best-value player on the roster, too.
You don't trade your greatest, youngest, cheapest stud. It would be stupid to do so.
What you do -- and what I bet owner Jerry Jones is prepared to help COO Stephen Jones in doing -- is to assure Elliott that while his leverage isn't what he might think it is, his desires are nevertheless heard and respected and that he will be accelerated up to the top of the priorities, same as teammates Prescott and Cooper, once we all get our bags unpacked in Oxnard.
There is a time to consider trading any player. But that time is not when he is young, cheap and great. Elliott is surely acutely aware of the grind-'em-down nature of his position, and wants his big payday before the grind-down. But Dallas is similarly aware of how its 2019 Super Bowl aspirations will be torpedoed without Elliott.
A compromise is the answer. A lengthy holdout is a poor answer. A trade? That's no answer at all.
