Cowboys release Elliott after 7 seasons
The Dallas Cowboys are parting ways with three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott after seven seasons, a source told Jordan Schultz, theScore's NFL insider.
Breaking: #Cowboys are releasing 3x Pro Bowl RB Ezekiel Elliott, source tells @theScore.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 15, 2023
This will be designated as a post-June 1. I’m told Zeke wants to continue playing football. He will now be able to sign anywhere he wants. He’s 27 years old.
Owner Jerry Jones confirmed Elliott's departure later Wednesday.
"We will always have a special place and love for Zeke and what he means to our Cowboys family, both as a person and a player," Jones said in a statement, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. "That will never change."
The Cowboys will designate Elliott as a post-June 1 cut and save $10.9 million in cap space.
Elliott took the NFL by storm after Dallas drafted him fourth overall in 2016, earning three Pro Bowl berths and leading the league in rushing yards twice in his first four seasons. However, he hasn't been able to replicate that production since and last made the Pro Bowl in 2019.
The 27-year-old rushed for 876 yards (3.8 per carry) to go along with 12 touchdowns last season. He failed to top 1,000 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career, being outplayed by Tony Pollard in Dallas' backfield.
Elliott was signed through the 2026 season after inking a six-year, $90-million extension with Dallas in September 2019.
Pollard, who finished last season with 1,378 total yards, led the Cowboys with 1,007 rushing yards (5.2 per attempt) and 12 scrimmage touchdowns. The team recently placed the franchise tag on the 25-year-old, who'll earn $10.09 million if he remains under the tag in 2023.