Why the Cowboys Realistically Can't Cut Ezekiel Elliott Over Amari Cooper

Elliott's contract prevents the Cowboys from moving on from the veteran running back.

With the news that the Cowboys are expected to release Amari Cooper this offseason, many Cowboys fans are asking: why can’t they cut Ezekiel Elliott instead?

That’s because cutting Elliott would cripple the team even more than keeping him would.

Releasing Elliott would cost the Cowboys $30 million in dead money, and Dallas would actually lose over $11 million in cap space.

They need to but can't.

Zeke has a dead cap figure of around $30 million this year and the Cowboys would incur an additional $11.9 million cap hit if they cut him before June 1st.

The soonest they can move on is probably next offseason. https://t.co/khDST5AwKU

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 4, 2022

On the other hand, cutting Cooper only costs Dallas $6 million in dead money, while keeping Cooper would cost Dallas $22 million in cap space. Cutting Cooper allows the Cowboys to gain $16 million in cap space.

While the Cowboys may try to trade Cooper before releasing him, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that is “not likely” since his salary is so high.

If the Cowboys cut Amari Cooper, he would count $6 million against the salary cap, not $22 million for a team that is projected to be more than $21 million over the cap. A trade with Cooper’s contract is, in the words of one source, “not likely.”https://t.co/iOjlcJIrHI https://t.co/NfcC8f9w5H

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2022

The Cowboys have seemingly decided to sacrifice Cooper to keep multiple other players. According to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, the money saved by losing Cooper could allow Dallas to potentially keep Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Randy Gregory long term.

4. Part of the #Cowboys discussions about cap savings with Cooper weighed on other flexibility. Keeping Gallup + Wilson long term. Potentially tagging Dalton Schultz. Gaining some room to work on Randy Gregory. Basically it was “how much of a good team can we keep together”.

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 4, 2022

And when it comes to Elliott, the Cowboys have made it clear that they are happy to have him as part of the team and don’t want to move on.

“I want that guy on my team,” Stephen Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “You talk about playing through some injuries. He’s a competitor. I think he’s a damn good running back. … Obviously, his money is guaranteed. He’s going to be here, there’s no question. We’re fortunate to have him.”

So, it is very likely that the Cowboys will move forward with Elliott and without Cooper.

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