The New England Patriots officially added Ezekiel Elliott to their running back corps earlier this week. The three-time Pro Bowler put his signature under a one-year contract on Tuesday, and was already on the practice fields with his new teammates one day later.
Shortly after the news of the signing broke, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported some additional compensation details about the pact. Elliott was going to play on a $3 million salary and $1 million signing bonus, with the deal worth up to $6 million.
However, if a detailed report by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is to be believed, the contract is actually a lot cheaper than that.
Ezekiel Elliott: Contract details
2023:Base salary: $1.55 millionSigning bonus: $600,000Roster bonuses: $850,000Incentives: $3 millionSalary cap hit: $2.9 million
Whereas the initial report suggested a salary cap number north of $4 million, Elliott actually will hit the Patriots’ books with just $2.9 million — the 21st-highest number on the team, and 23rd in the league among running backs. That number includes a $1.55 million base salary as well as a $600,000 signing bonus.
In addition, $750,000 worth of roster bonuses are considered likely to be earned (LTBE) and therefore part of the Patriots’ 2023 books as well. If he appears in all 17 games for the club after playing 15 last season, Elliott will earn himself the non-LTBE portion as well for a total sum of $850,000, or $50,000 per game. That $100,000 difference would then hit New England’s 2023 salary cap.
Any of the incentives in his pact, meanwhile, would impact New England’s 2024 books. Of those, there are $3 million.
According to Florio, Elliott will get $300,000 when crossing 975 yards from scrimmage as well as $300,000 more for each subsequent escalator at 1,100, 1,225, 1,350, and 1,475 yards from scrimmage. In total, he can earn an extra $1.5 million through his on-field production.
Elliott has indeed surpassed 1,475 scrimmage yards before in his career. He crossed the barrier on three occasions, although never in his last three seasons.
The other $1.5 million half of his incentives also comes in $300,000 installments. He will get an extra check of that sum if he plays 5, 55, 60, 65, and 70 percent of the team’s offensive snaps this upcoming season. Him reaching that final plateau does seem unlikely, though, given the team’s history of using running backs.
Case in point: no Patriots RB over the last 11 seasons, which is the furthest back snap count data is available, has played more snaps than Rhamondre Stevenson’s 66.4 percent last season. And with Stevenson still on the team and projected as New England’s top option at the position, things would have to go very wrong for Elliott to surpass that mark.
One final fun fact about the contract: Elliott actually has a lower impact on the Patriots’ salary cap this season than the Dallas Cowboys’. Whereas New England takes a $2.9 million cap hit, the running back’s former team has him on its books with a $5.82 million dead money charge.
