The NFL handed down a stiff, six-game suspension to Ezekiel Elliott Friday. The ban will cost the Dallas Cowboys running back a ton of money right off the bat, and it could be much more down the road.
As noted by Michael Ginnitti, Co-Founder of Spotrac, Elliott stands to lose $93,000 in salary and a possible $240,000 in signing bonus per game he’s suspended.
A quick look at the calculator shows us that, if he doesn’t win his appeal, Elliott could lose nearly $2 million this year. That’s steep. On top of that, Ginnitti noted that there is a substantial amount of guaranteed money that will void ($8.15 million).
That doesn’t mean Elliott will lose all that money, but it means he’s no longer guaranteed to make it.
So, if he gets into any more trouble (which could reportedly lead to him being banished from the game) or gets injured, Dallas is not on the hook for his salaries going forward.
Elliott is still eligible to earn $1,025,186 in 2017, $2.7M in 2018 & $3.8M in 2019, but the salaries are no longer guaranteed.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) August 11, 2017
Recently, head coach Jason Garrett tried to impress upon Elliott that his off-field behavior is a turn-off to potential sponsors.
Suddenly, that’s a minor issue compared to the major financial implications of Elliott’s suspension.