Ezekiel Elliott would have to have a monster season to get the full $6 million from his Patriots contract

Patriots

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that half of Elliott’s contract is incentive-based.

The Patriots added much needed depth to their running back room with the addition of Ezekiel Elliott.

So, how much is it going to cost?

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Elliott’s deal is for one year and worth up to $6 million dollars.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports that Elliott has to “do a lot” in order to get the full $6 million.

According to Florio, Elliott’s base salary is $1.55 million, along with a $600,000 signing bonus. He also gets an active roster bonus worth $50,000 per game, worth a total of $850,000 if he plays in all 17 regular-season games. That adds up to $3 million.

The remaining $3 million of the deal depends on how many snaps and how many yards from scrimmage Elliott gains, according to Florio.

The incentives are reportedly as follows:

Yards from scrimmage: $300,000 for 975 yards from scrimmage, $300,000 for 1,100 yards from scrimmage, $300,000 for 1,225 yards from scrimmage, $300,000 for 1,350 yards from scrimmage, $300,000 for 1,475 yards from scrimmage. Total: $1,500,000.

Offensive snaps: ($300,000 for 50 percent of offensive snaps, $300,000 for 55 percent, $300,000 for 60 percent, $300,000 for 65 percent, $300,000 for 70 percent. Total $1,500,000.

Elliott would have to play in every regular-season game, get 70 percent of the offensive snaps, and rush for 1,475 yards from scrimmage to receive $6 million from the Patriots, according to Florio.

Elliott, who is a three-time Pro Bowler, has only topped 1,475 yards once in his career. It was during his rookie season in 2016. Such production would have placed Elliott in the top-5 among NFL rushers last season.

Not to mention the fact that Elliott is coming to New England to back up Rhamondre Stevenson. They’ll be splitting carries, so coming anywhere near that yardage total or that snap count total isn’t very likely.

But, stranger things have happened. Corey Dillon rushed for a career-high 1,635 yards for the Patriots in 2004. He was two years older than Elliott is now.

Elliott joined the Patriots for practice in Green Bay this week, and the team seems happy to have him on board. Stevenson spoke about how their skill-sets will compliment each other, and Mac Jones spoke highly of the former Cowboys running back.

Elliott and the Patriots found enough common ground to agree on a contract. It’s time to see if it will pay off.