Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is the biggest impending free agent on the Cowboys, but he isn’t the only player that may be in line for a new contract from the team in the near future.
That point was illustrated by executive vice president Stephen Jones’ meeting with the media from the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Jones updated where things stand with Lawrence, reiterated the team’s desire to extend quarterback Dak Prescott’s deal and also touched on running back Ezekiel Elliott’s future.
Elliott is headed into the fourth year of his rookie deal and the team will almost certainly exercise their fifth-year option unless an extension is reached before that kicks in. On Tuesday, Jones said that the team knows that the four-year, $60 million extension that Todd Gurley signed with the Rams last year set the bar for where talks with Elliott will begin and that the team has taken that into account when setting budgets.
“We’ve got it budgeted that we’re going to pay Zeke a significant contract at some point. ... We certainly saw what Gurley got paid and we know that’s probably where it starts, and we’ll go from there,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
The Cowboys would have the option of using the franchise tag on Elliott in 2021 if they haven’t been able to reach agreement on a new deal, but there’s a long way to go before that’s going to be on the table.