On the run: Patriots sign Elliott; Jets land Cook
Three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott has signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots worth $4 million, a person familiar with the terms told the Associated Press.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the move, said the contract can be worth up to $6 million with incentives.
The 28-year-old Elliott ran for 68 touchdowns and more than 8,000 yards in seven years with the Dallas Cowboys. He led the NFL in rushing yards in 2016, when he was the runner-up for the AP Rookie of the Year award, and again in 2018.
He also has more than 2,300 receiving yards, and 12 TD catches.
Elliott’s yards per game have gone down every season of his career, a trend that partly reflects the decreased usage of running backs in the NFL since the Cowboys used the No. 4 overall draft pick to select him in 2016. Under coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have been especially disdainful of the load-carrying rusher, winning Super Bowls in the past decade with more versatile, role-playing running backs like Sony Michel, Jonas Gray and James White.
Cook to Jets: Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets’ offense just got another big-time playmaker.
Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Jets, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the agreement. NFL Network and ESPN first reported the deal is worth up to $8.6 million.
Cook, who turned 28 last week, has run for at least 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons but was released by the Vikings on June 8 for salary cap savings. He was scheduled to count more than $14.1 million against the Vikings’ salary cap.