Ezekiel Elliott shows the NFL how to handle a contract holdout

While no one in Pittsburgh wants to talk about Le'Veon Bell anymore, it's impossible to ignore him. He may not be the one sitting out this season, but he is the one who started the running back market trend players like Ezekiel Elliott and Melvin Gordon are taking advantage of this summer.

There are differences between the two years. When Le'Veon Bell took the stage in 2017, he was determined to reset the running back market. Granted, Bell deserved every penny he received in his new deal with the New York Jets, his chances of receiving it early could've been helped with a different approach.

This doesn't mean no sit-out. No player should have to play under the franchise tag. In fact, Bell was more than right to fight for his money, and Pittsburgh should've handed it to him or moved on earlier.

Bell didn't do everything right, though. Comparing his time off the field to Zeke's, it's clear who an NFL team would sign first. Both are equally talented, yet Zeke found himself with a contract, and a hefty one at that.

The #Cowboys & RB Ezekiel Elliott agree on a 6-year, $90M extension that makes him the highest-paid RB in the NFL, sources tell me and @SlaterNFL. Roughly half guaranteed. In all, it's $103M over 8 years—the 1st Cowboy to eclipse $100M in total value, the richest RB contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 4, 2019

It's because of how this was handled. So, lets compare the two:

Le'Veon Bell spent his time in Miami training, rapping and partying. All things he's allowed to do, and if it didn't hurt his football performance, hey, have fun.

He did more than spend quality time in Miami, though. For nearly two years, the running back made comment after comment, Twitter post after Twitter post, about his former team and the city they play in.

It was nonstop. Every time you looked for NFL news you came across a Le'Veon Bell story, and because of it, the team suffered.

From rap disses to shady tweets, Bell made it very clear he wasn't a fan of the city of Pittsburgh or the Steelers. Leaving the team with ultimately no choice but to move on.

Different from Zeke. Over the last four months it's almost been like Ezekiel Elliott has vanished from the country, waiting for something to get done before he returns. Literally.

It worked. Zeke held out long enough to let the Cowboys decide they want him around, and didn't make a sound during the process. Instead, he kept his ground, gave the league and the media space, and spent some well-deserved time in Cabo, Mexico.

Should he have held out in the first place? Honestly, yes. The Cowboys' running back is worth much more than his 2-year, $12 million remaining rookie deal.

He handled it as he should've, though. There's a major difference between Bell and Zeke's approach. While one gained more attention, the other earned a deal. Showing the NFL that if you're going to make a stand for money you deserve, do so without pushing your team into a corner. Which in result, leaves your team backed into a corner.