As Ezekiel Elliott's holdout extends past the one-month mark, it has been a long time since fans have heard from the Cowboys' star player.
However, before the clock on Elliott's holdout officially started when he didn't join his teammates on a charter flight to Oxnard, Calif. for training camp in July, he spoke to Maxim's Keith Gordon about life as the Cowboys' running back.
"I love playing for the Dallas Cowboys, I love the organization, my teammates. I do want to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life and hopefully that's a possibility," Elliott said. "But even Emmitt Smith, the greatest running back ever, ended up going to play a couple of years for another organization. So it's just the nature of the game, but I want to be a Dallas Cowboy for as long as I can."
Elliott continued to discuss the toll being a running back in the NFL takes on one's body, and how the position has seemingly been devalued by the league in recent years.
"Until the very recent deal with Todd Gurley, I think there was an undervalue of the running back," Elliott said.
"But with guys like Gurley getting drafted so high, then me, and now guys like Saquon (Barkley) getting drafted in the first round, I think we've done a great job of bringing back the value of the position, showing the importance of the running back."
Gurley signed a four-year, $57.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 with $45 million guaranteed.
Elliott _ drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2016 _ is scheduled to make $3.85 million this season, and $9.09 million in 2020 due to the Cowboys picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract in April.
Unlike Dak Prescott, who was drafted in the same year and has an expiring contract after this season, the organization had the ability to add another year due to Elliott being a first-round pick.
Elliott is currently in Cabo, away from the team pursuing a more Gurley-level (or higher) contract while he prepares for the upcoming season on his own.
At the start of his holdout, the Cowboys informed Elliott he would be subject to fines at the maximum $40,000 per day allowed by the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. Following Saturday's third preseason game against the Texans, the total reached $1.2 million.
How close are Elliott and the Cowboys to coming to an agreement? Jerry Jones answered that before Saturday's game on "The Fan" KRLD-FM (105.3).
"It could drag on or it could happen quickly," he said.
