Dallas Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott No Longer NFL's Highest Paid Running Back
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Ezekiel Elliott became the highest-paid running back in the history of the NFL last September after a lengthy training camp holdout. Elliot and the Cowboys signed a 6-year $90 million extension worth $15 million a season.
Along with his existing deal, the extension could see Elliott in Dallas another seven-season earning $103 million. At the time, the deal put Elliott ahead of the Los Angeles Rams' Todd Gurly who was making $14.375 million a year. Gurley was cut by the Rams this offseason and is now playing for the Atlanta Falcons. However, Elliot no longer holds the crown of NFL's highest-paid running back.
Less than a year after Elliot inked his deal, the Carolina Panthers and running back Christian McCaffrey agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $64 million. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, McCaffrey will now average $16 million a year, making him the highest-paid running back in league history.
"I think Christian McCaffrey is the centerpiece of the whole team," head coach Matt Rhule said last week in a Zoom press conference. "He is one of those guys that can do anything. He builds the culture that you want to have in the building. We want to be a serious football place that's all about the game and I think that's what Christian is."
McCaffrey has 2,920 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons for Carolina. During that same span, Elliott has rushed for 2,791 yards and 18 Touchdowns., McCaffrey also bested Elliott in receiving yards since entering the league. In his two year career, McCaffrey has caught 303 passes for 2,523 yards and 15 touchdowns more than Elliott has done in four seasons with the Cowboys.
Here are the top ten highest-paid running backs in the NFL for the upcoming 2020 season:
- Christian McCaffrey - $16 Million
- Ezekiel Elliott - $15 Million
- Le'Veion Bell - $13.125 Million
- David Johnson - $13 Million
- Derrick Henry - $10.278 Million
- Kenyan Drake - $8.483 Million
- Melvin Gordon - $8 Million
- Saquon Barkley - $7.798 Million
- Leonard Fournette - $6.787 Million
- Austin Ekeler - $6.125 Million