The Cowboys' 'Rookie Dinner' Bill Was More Than Most Americans Make In A Year

The Cowboys have reason to celebrate this week. At 5-1, America's Team reaches its bye week as the NFC East leader and the No. 2 team in the conference.

On top of that, the team has done so without Tony Romo for all six games and without Dez Bryant for the last three games. And on top of that, the Cowboys have relied on rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott to carry the offense. Elliott leads the NFL in rushing yards and Prescott is fifth in passer rating.

This recipe made the Cowboys' "rookie dinner" rather extravagant. The full-team meal, organized by Romo, racked up a $54,494.59 bill.

Scout.com's Mike Fisher described the event as a "party" at Nick and Sam's Steakhouse, an establishment Romo is known to frequent in Dallas. In Bryant's rookie year, this type of dinner became a point of scrutiny, as rookies were forced to pay. Bryant says he was peer pressured into paying $55,000. The 2016 edition, although a similar price, learned from 2011. "Lots of the guys just paid for themselves," Bryant says. It shows how far the team has come (and its record may be indicative of that).

Median income for a U.S. household in 2015 was estimated at $52,250, less than this meal.

With everything said, come on Jerry Jones. Pick up the check.

-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.