Ezekiel Elliott Contract Details Reveal Great Deal For Patriots

Ezekiel Elliott’s New England Patriots contract is worth up to $6 million.

Key words: “up to.”

ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio on Wednesday reported the details of the running back’s one-year Patriots pact. After seeing the specifics, the odds of Elliott earning the full $6 million are slim.

Per Florio, Elliott’s contract features a $600,000 signing bonus and a $1.55 million base salary that would drop to $1 million if he suffers a season-ending injury before Week 1. The 28-year-old can earn up to an additional $850,000 in roster bonuses ($50,000 per game) and $3 million through incentives tied to playing time and yards from scrimmage.

Florio’s report contradicted an earlier one from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who indicated Elliott received a $1 million signing bonus and $3 million base salary.

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Each of Elliott’s incentives has five levels, with Elliott earning a $300,000 bonus each time he reaches one:

Yards from scrimmage
975: $300,000
1,100: $600,000
1,225: $900,000
1,350: $1.2 million
1,475: $1.5 million

Offensive snaps played
50%: $300,000
55%: $600,000
60%: $900,000
65%: $1.2 million
70%: $1.5 million

So, to earn the maximum value of his contract, Elliott would need to play at least 70% of New England’s offensive snaps and surpass 1,475 yards from scrimmage. The chances of him hitting both of those marks are almost zero unless — and even if — the Patriots lose lead back Rhamondre Stevenson to a long-term injury.

Elliott didn’t even reach the lowest of those benchmarks during his final season with the Dallas Cowboys, playing 48% of snaps and totaling 968 yards as the No. 2 behind Tony Pollard. (That fact also qualifies these incentives as “not likely to be earned,” meaning they won’t count against the Patriots’ salary cap.)

If he posts similar numbers as Stevenson’s running mate, he’d make a modest $3 million this season, assuming he plays in all 17 games. And if Elliott turns back the clock to 2018 and again becomes a Pro Bowl-caliber offensive weapon, he’ll still cost the Patriots no more than $6 million.

That’s a bargain for a player who, although not the game-breaking rusher he once was, should play a vital role in New England’s offense.

“He seems like a great fit,” quarterback Mac Jones told reporters Wednesday. “… He and (Stevenson) are going to be a great 1-2 punch.”