Report: Cowboys out on Earl Thomas unless Seahawks lower price
The Dallas Cowboys will only re-consider an Earl Thomas trade if the Seattle Seahawks lower their asking price, per Ed Werder.
Derek Lewis - 7 hours ago 0
Subtext has officially become context in the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys' Earl Thomas discussions or lack thereof lately. While the teams seem to be at an impasse, as reported by Dallas Cowboys on 247Sports' Mike Fisher, the subtle markers of that stalling out were the Seahawks aren't budging on their asking price for Thomas and the Cowboys aren't willing to pay the piper to acquire the Pro Bowler.
But, gone are the days of reading into the reporting on this potential deal; the Cowboys have taken a more direct approach in this latest tidbit. According to NFL Insider Ed Werder, the Cowboys aren't making acquiring Thomas a draft day priority and will only return to the negotiation table if the Seahawks lower their asking price. Presumably, the price remains at a first and third-round pick to pry Thomas away from the Emerald City and clearly the 'Boys believe that price is too steep.
If a team were to budge, it'll likely be the Seahawks because they have a bit more to lose than the Cowboys in this situation. While Seattle wants to maximize the value they get back for the best defender on their team, they certainly don't want to lose him for nothing in 2019. He enters the last year of his deal this season. Because they may be unwilling to sign Thomas to an extension getting nothing as he walks away becomes a very real possibility. And the realities of why they won't sign him long-term -- age, recent injury -- are the same holdups that lessen his trade value to other teams. There's also the simple fact that Thomas means more in the Seahawks system than any other system.
All these considerations make it hard to get a trade done as Seattle Seahawks on 247Sports has detailed multiple times.
But in the end, it's the Seahawks who miss out on draft capital and getting a return on their investment if they don't budge on moving Thomas. They're the team that have no picks in the second or third round of this year's draft. They're the team trying to get younger and keep their cap situation tidy by not overpaying aging veterans. They're the team who risks losing Earl Thomas for nothing.
If they do keep him, all those fears can be alleviated by signing him to a new deal but if they won't pay him, losing him for nothing as they ended up doing with cornerback Richard Sherman, this offseason, would be another misfire. For the record, paying the best player on your defense who should age well doesn't count as overpaying veterans. But, Kam Chancellor's recent career-threatening injury just months after signing a three-year extension has to give them pause. Thomas plays just as hard as Chancellor and injuries are just unpredictable.
The Seahawks can't let "what ifs" scare them to the point of inaction and likely won't. They've always been proactive in these situations and have plan upon contingency plan depending on how the chips fall. No reason to believe, they don't have multiple strategies mapped out here. But, even a second or third-round selection has to be enticing if Seattle has already decided they won't invest long-term in Thomas. If he walks in free agency in 2019, they may get -- emphasis on may get -- a third-round compensatory pick. If they could get a day two draft pick plus a day three selection, they're getting a bigger and more certain bang for their buck than simply letting him sign elsewhere next offseason.
If the Seahawks plan is to move Thomas, they'll likely have to budge on their price. If they don't mind keeping him, the Cowboys had better be sure Thomas isn't a priority for them. It's really that simple and neither team has to budge off their current position in the end.
Author
Derek Lewis @drlewisbookit
Hyperbole much?
