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          Ezekiel Elliott appreciates Jerry Jones' support

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          Should Cowboys have additional rules for Zeke? (2:21)

          Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith debate whether Ezekiel Elliott should have special rules, given his off-the-field history. (2:21)

          • Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterMar 8, 2018, 09:15 PM
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              Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
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          FRISCO, Texas -- With Jerry Jones paying at least part of the legal fees the NFL incurred for the fight in Ezekiel Elliott's suspension and Roger Goodell's extension negotiations, the Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager seems to have called an end to his battles with the league.

          Jones' willingness to fight for Elliott wasn't lost on the running back, who took to social media on Thursday.

          The Cowboys were more observers than participants in Elliott's legal battles, though they did file a declaration of support in Elliott's bid for a temporary restraining order in September. Jones has staunchly defended Elliott throughout.

          "He's paid the most level of punishment that I've seen for what he did," Jones said last week at the NFL scouting combine.

          But Jones also believes that Elliott has learned a lesson from the six-game suspension.

          "That would make any of us cognizant of the fact that you have serious accountability for any situation that you get into," Jones said "It's costly, and it's certainly cost him. It's cost him. So he's smart. He is smart. And so we should have every reason to believe that that will be a constant reminder when you're making decisions. I think that's the case."

          Last week coach Jason Garrett said he had not had a meeting with Elliott since right after the season ended. In 10 games, Elliott ran for 983 yards on 242 carries with seven touchdowns.

          "It was a challenging year for him, obviously, in so many different ways, but when you really pull back and evaluate it, he handled it really well," Garrett said. "When he came back for those last two weeks, his mindset was serious, he was focused, he was locked in. That's not an easy thing to do, to go into exile for six weeks and then have to come back and contribute to a football team. His mind was right, his mentality was right, I thought he handled that work well, and I think he's focused on what he can do to be a better football player to help our team in 2018."