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With the 2019 NFL season just two days away, two teams made headlines for offering big contracts to their star players – the Los Angeles Rams kept quarterback Jared Goff with a four-year, 134-million-U.S.-dollar contract extension and the Dallas Cowboys made Ezekiel Elliott the league's highest-paid running back with a six-year, 90-million deal.
Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams looks for a teammate to throw the ball in Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, February 3, 2019. /VCG Photo
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Rams' deal with Goff which will include 110 million U.S. dollars of guaranteed money. The new contract was the latest effort by the team to build a championship franchise. The following are some of the sweet, long contracts signed by the team with their players:
Aaron Donald, defensive tackle, six years, 135 million U.S. dollars
Brandin Cooks, wide receiver, five-year, 81 million U.S. dollars
Todd Gurley, running back, four years, 57.5 million U.S. dollars
Rob Havenstein, offensive tackle, four years, 32.5 million U.S. dollars
This strategy of spending money has worked for the Rams – they won the NFC Championship last season before losing to the New England Patriots in an ugly Super Bowl LIII. It only makes sense to continue.
Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams talks to Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl Opening Night, January 28, 2019. /VCG Photo
Some have argued Goff deserves the big money he will be receiving from his new contract. After the seven-straight-loss rookie season in 2016, he soon grew to become the leader of the team under head coach Sean McVay. In the following 2017 and 2018 seasons, Goff started 31 games, passed a total of 8,492 yards, had 60 touchdowns, helping the Rams claim 24 victories.
The other big contract reported on Wednesday by Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL Network was between the Cowboys and Elliott. The team confirmed the deal later in the day.
Ezekiel Elliott 0f the Dallas Cowboys runs for a gain in the NFC Divisional Football game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, January 12, 2019. /VCG Photo
According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Elliott's new contract will include 50 million U.S. dollars of guaranteed money, surpassing Gurley's 45 million with the Rams. Moreover, considering that the 24-year-old still has two years left with his rookie contract (3.85 million U.S. dollars in 2019 and 9.09 million in 2020), Elliott will make over 100 million until 2026.
Having finally become the highest-paid running back in the league, Elliott sounded very happy. " Because I believe I'm the best," said the young star who refused to attend the Cowboys' preseason training camp and the preseason games in order to get a new deal.
Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball against Mark Barron #26 of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, January 12, 2019. /VCG Photo
Truth be told, he is one of those players that a team should find a way to keep. Having played three seasons, Elliott led the league in rushing yards in two seasons – only four have ever done that before in NFL history and one of them was Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. Furthermore, in the 2018 season, Elliott became the first running back in Cowboys history to reach 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards.
Now that the Cowboys' front office settled the matter with Elliott, they can focus on negotiating new terms with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper.