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.

Each of those 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.

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.”