Stephen Jones “very rarely” talks to Ezekiel Elliott’s team regarding contract extension

The sun rose on Wednesday and Ezekiel Elliott had still not reported to Oxnard, California for Dallas Cowboys training camp. That’s not shocking considering he’s holding out in hopes of a contract extension with America’s Team.

Business in the NFL can be a tricky thing sometimes and often it leads to things like holdouts. Stephen Jones and the rest of the Cowboys brain trust are tasked with resolving this issue before the regular season begins about a month from now, but that’s a lot easier said than done.

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday (the RES is on the AUDIENCE Network on DirecTV channel 239 every day from 12-3pm ET), Stephen was asked just how often he communicates with Ezekiel Elliott’s team regarding the contract extension. While his answer might sound jarring just know it’s not exactly uncommon.

“Very rarely. There’s this perception out there about negotiations that there are these ongoing talks that go on hours at a time. That’s just not the case. You kind of set the boundaries of where you think it should be, certainly they’re all represented by very sharp people, and they’re trying to do the best for their client. You kind of sit there, and you stew on it, and you think about it, you’re always trying to think of something that might bridge a gap.

But at the end of the day this is a distribution dilemma for us. The money’s going to go out the door, it’s going to be spent across the board with our team. It’s just Jerry and I’s job to decide how to divide the pie. Everybody wants their share and as much as they can get, and rightfully so. That’s not the player’s problem. That’s not Dak’s issue, that’s not Zeke’s issue, that’s not Amari’s issue, is to worry about who gets what.”

There’s no need to freak out over this, as Jones noted this process isn’t exactly one with back-and-forth texts happening all the time. When millions and millions of dollars are on the line patience is exhibited far more than usual.

Until Ezekiel Elliott shows up to the Cowboys (assuming that eventually happens) Stephen and Co. are going to be continually peppered with questions regarding their all-world running back. This is business as normal these days, hopefully the other sort of business resolves it all sooner rather than later.