Ezekiel Elliott went to bed in a “bad place” Tuesday night, not knowing whether he would practice Wednesday or not. It took more than one phone call to wake him up at 6:15 a.m. to deliver the good news.
It took a 40-day holdout for Elliott to get the deal he was seeking.
“I think I learned that I am mentally tough,” Elliott said Wednesday after signing his new deal and practicing with his teammates. “It’s definitely one of the hardest things I’ve been through. Just every day not having certainty.”
Elliott now is the league’s highest-paid running back, surpassing Todd Gurley.
“It was [important], because I believe I’m the best,” Elliott said.
Elliott would not say whether he was prepared to miss games. He insists he was taking it “day by day” and hoping for the best.
Now that he’s here, the star running back wants to continue to prove he’s the best. Elliott has led the league in rushing two of his three seasons and still led the league in average yards per game in 2017 when he missed six games for a suspension.
“Just a journey to get there. You know,” Elliott said. “From where I started and finally being here and what I have to do to. . . . I mean, I’ve just got to take it to the next level now.”