OXNARD, Calif. -- If Ezekiel Elliott's appeal of a six-game suspension is denied, it will cost the Dallas Cowboys running back nearly $560,000 in base salary this season and potentially more.
As the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft, he signed a four-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $24.956 million last year. He received a signing bonus of $16.350 million and received the final deferred installment of the bonus in March.
If the suspension is upheld, the guarantees on the contract will be voided and he will have to pay back some of the already earned signing-bonus money.
Elliott's base salaries for 2017 to '19 are worth $1.584 million, $2.718 million and $3.853 million, respectively. If he misses a game (or games) because of a suspension, he would still receive those amounts for as long as he is on the roster, but they would no longer be guaranteed if he suffers an injury that ends his career.
For each game missed, Elliott also would have to repay about $240,000 in signing-bonus money he has received, or roughly $1.4 million.
Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, players suspended under the drug and performance-enhancing policies automatically have to repay their teams. Whether a player suspended under the personal conduct policy is forced to repay the bonus is at the discretion of the team. However, multiple agents who have done business with the team say the Cowboys have strict language in their deals that calls for the full forfeiture amount, similar to the drug and PED polices spelled out in the CBA.
In Elliott's case, the yearly prorated amount of signing-bonus money he has received is nearly $4.1 million over the life of the deal. The Cowboys would receive a cap credit for the repayment, but it would not come until 2018.
Elliott is the fifth Cowboys player to be suspended for part or all of this season. Defensive end Randy Gregory has been banished for the regular season for multiple violations of the substance-abuse policy. Defensive ends David Irving and Damontre Moore have been suspended for four and two games, respectively, for violating the performance-enhancing drug and substance-abuse policies. Wide receiver Shaquelle Evans, who has been released, was suspended four games as well.
As a result of the suspensions, the Cowboys are facing a potential fine of $500,000 for the second straight season under the league's remittance policy. The club remittance policy was created to hold teams accountable for acquiring players who have violated various NFL policies.
It is possible the Cowboys could have two more players suspended before the season starts. Cornerback Nolan Carroll and linebacker Damien Wilson could face discipline for offseason arrests.