OXNARD, Calif. _ Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was not on the team plane Thursday when it departed Dallas for training camp in Oxnard, Calif., and did not show up for the morning physical or the conditioning run on Friday, officially meaning he is in a holdout.
The two-time NFL rushing champion has two years left on his rookie deal, but he wants to get paid immediately just as Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley did last year in agreeing to a 4-year, $60 million contract extension.
Elliott can be fined $40,000 for each day of training camp that he misses, under Article 42 and Section 1 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. And he would lose the opportunity to earn an accrued season if he doesn't report by Aug. 6.
Speaking at a Cowboys press conference on Friday, owner Jerry Jones said that Elliott was officially late.
"We expect everybody that's under contract to be here at camp," he said.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said that he is in discussions with Elliott's agent on a new contract.
"We feel optimistic that things usually work themselves out," Stephen Jones said.
If Elliott shows up at any point Friday or before the team's first practice on Saturday, the Cowboys could call it a mulligan and move forward. Fines up are to the discretion of the team and players have held out in the past and not been fined.
The two-time NFL rushing champion has two years left on his rookie deal, but he wants to get paid immediately.
The Cowboys have said they plan on signing Elliott to an extension but prioritized him behind new deals for quarterback Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper because they are heading into the final year of their contracts.
