{"id":186478,"date":"2026-05-14T07:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T07:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478"},"modified":"2026-05-14T07:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T07:53:59","slug":"%e2%ad%90-report-cowboys-full-circle-moment-ezekiel-zeke-elliotts-words-hit-dallas-fans-right-in-the-heart-the-way-it-started-is-the-way-i-want-it-to-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478","title":{"rendered":"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"232\" data-end=\"267\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy-img\" src=\"https:\/\/legacymedia.sportsplatform.io\/image\/upload\/v1674672888\/g4qkol8p6jrkpfgewenl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"232\" data-end=\"267\"><strong>Arlington, TX \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0The Dallas Cowboys closed a chapter in franchise history on Sunday, announcing that one of their most iconic offensive stars would retire as a Cowboy after signing a ceremonial one-day contract.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"467\" data-end=\"689\">It marked the end of a career that began with fireworks and ended with sentiment. Once the heartbeat of Dallas\u2019 backfield, this player became synonymous with highlight runs, playoff pushes, and the \u201cFeed Me\u201d celebration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-ad\">\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_1\" data-google-query-id=\"COW1q4qmuJQDFb-G6QUd-5oyBg\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22751588535,23337283784\/oedn.net\/oedn.net_responsive_banner_1_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"691\" data-end=\"891\">Fans watched his role shrink in recent years, culminating in a release after a brief stint with the Chargers. But rather than chase another team, he chose to come home and finish where it all began.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"893\" data-end=\"1122\">That player is\u00a0<strong data-start=\"908\" data-end=\"927\">Ezekiel Elliott<\/strong>, the bruising runner who recorded\u00a0<strong data-start=\"962\" data-end=\"1003\">8,488 rushing yards and 83 touchdowns<\/strong>\u00a0over eight seasons in Dallas, ranking third all-time in franchise history behind only Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-ad\">\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_banner_responsive_2\" data-google-query-id=\"CIbSrIqmuJQDFVei6QUdKTUs5w\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22751588535,23337283784\/oedn.net\/oedn.net_responsive_banner_2_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy-img\" src=\"https:\/\/ezbuzz.feji.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/572244747_122135634044956163_725014222241301097_n.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ezbuzz.xinloc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/572244747_122135634044956163_725014222241301097_n.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ezbuzz.xinloc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/572244747_122135634044956163_725014222241301097_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ezbuzz.xinloc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/572244747_122135634044956163_725014222241301097_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ezbuzz.xinloc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/572244747_122135634044956163_725014222241301097_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ezbuzz.xinloc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/572244747_122135634044956163_725014222241301097_n-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1124\" data-end=\"1339\">Drafted fourth overall in 2016, Elliott exploded for 1,631 yards as a rookie, leading the league in rushing. He would top the NFL again in 2018 and earn three Pro Bowls, cementing his place among the game\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1341\" data-end=\"1576\">His career wasn\u2019t without turbulence. A six-game suspension in 2017 and criticism over declining efficiency in later years sometimes overshadowed his dominance. Yet when the playoffs came, his physicality always gave Dallas a chance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-ad\">\n<div id=\"js_adsconex_parallax_1\" data-type=\"parallax\">\n<div class=\"adsconex-parallax_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"adsconex-parallax_ad-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"adsconex-parallax_ad\" align=\"center\">\n<div id=\"div_adsconex_inpage_1\" data-google-query-id=\"CMKhsIqmuJQDFVSV6QUd7goaWQ\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22751588535,23337283784\/oedn.net\/oedn.net_responsive_banner_6_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1578\" data-end=\"1787\">After splitting carries with Tony Pollard and returning as a secondary option in 2024, Elliott\u2019s production dropped to 226 yards. The Cowboys cut him before the postseason, but his legacy was already secure.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1789\" data-end=\"2002\">\u201cZeke is a Cowboy forever,\u201d Jerry Jones said. \u201cHis passion, production, and presence defined an era here.\u201d For fans, his retirement closes a story of hurdles, heart, and unforgettable Sundays in silver and blue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arlington, TX \u2013\u00a0The Dallas Cowboys closed a chapter in franchise history on Sunday, announcing that one of their most iconic offensive stars would retire as a Cowboy&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":186479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Arlington, TX \u2013\u00a0The Dallas Cowboys closed a chapter in franchise history on Sunday, announcing that one of their most iconic offensive stars would retire as a Cowboy...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T07:53:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478\",\"name\":\"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-14T07:53:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T07:53:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":640},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\",\"name\":\"MrLuu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrLuu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","og_description":"Arlington, TX \u2013\u00a0The Dallas Cowboys closed a chapter in franchise history on Sunday, announcing that one of their most iconic offensive stars would retire as a Cowboy...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-05-14T07:53:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrLuu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrLuu","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478","name":"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-14T07:53:59+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-14T07:53:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cowboy2-8.jpg","width":512,"height":640},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=186478#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2b50 REPORT: COWBOYS FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT \u2014 Ezekiel \u201cZeke\u201d Elliott\u2019s words hit Dallas fans right in the heart: \u201cThe way it started is the way I want it to end.\u201d After two rushing titles, years of carrying the star, and a legacy built through bruising Sundays, Zeke now wants his football story to close where it first became legendary. This isn\u2019t just retirement talk \u2014 it feels like one last love letter to Cowboys Nation..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69","name":"MrLuu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrLuu"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=186478"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186480,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186478\/revisions\/186480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/186479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=186478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=186478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=186478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}