Ezekiel Elliott: 'I'm excited for this next chapter'
After signing his record-breaking deal on Thursday, Ezekiel Elliott is happy to rejoin the Dallas Cowboys and put his lengthy holdout behind him.
"Just excited to be home," Elliott told Lindsay Draper of the team's website. "Excited for my team and my family. I'm excited for this next chapter."
Elliott inked a six-year, $90-million extension with Dallas, making him the NFL's highest-paid running back. The 24-year-old praised his teammates and the Cowboys' front office for supporting him.
"(Being away from the team was) super tough, it was really hard. Super hard," he said, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "Honestly, what helped me get through was the support of the guys in this building, just communicating with them every day. Them just supporting me and that meant a lot.
"We're a close-knit group. It all goes way farther than football. We actually love each other. We're a family. We understand each other and we just have a great respect for each other."
The star tailback also addressed Jerry Jones' controversial comments from last month.
The Cowboys owner replied "Zeke who?" when asked about Tony Pollard's stellar preseason, and the rookie's ability to fill the void at running back if Elliott's holdout continued. Elliott and his camp reportedly found Jones' comments disrespectful during negotiations.
"That's so far behind us," the two-time Pro Bowler said. "I mean we signed the deal, so I mean there's literally no point talking about that."