News: Would you do this deal for Earl Thomas if you ran the Cowboys?

CCBoy

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Would you do this deal for Earl Thomas if you ran the Cowboys?
https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...s-deal-for-earl-thomas-if-you-ran-the-cowboys



What, another Earl Thomas article connecting him with the Cowboys? Yes, that’s what’s happening. Now that Thomas is a free agent, there will be plenty of speculation about whether he will wear the Star until he either signs with Dallas or with another team.

When he was still with Seattle last year, we know that the Cowboys and the Seahawks had discussions about trading him, that went all the way back to the offseason before the draft. It never came to fruition but it did show Dallas had interest. Now that he’s a free agent, the question is just how much would it take to sign him? ESPN steps in and gives us a marker.

Dallas signs Thomas to a four-year, $40 million deal

It seems almost inevitable that the Cowboys will go after Earl Thomas, given his history in Texas and the presence of former Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard on their coaching staff. With Tony Romo’s contract finally off the books, the Cowboys have the cap space to consummate their long-held interest in the future Hall of Famer...
 

KingintheNorth

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from the article:
Earl Thomas signed a 4 year, $40,000,000 contract with the Seattle Seahawks, including a $9,500,000 signing bonus, $25,725,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $10,000,000.

I can live with the $9.5M signing bonus .

$25.725M of $40M, meaning 64% of the total contract being guaranteed seems excessive, especially for a 30-year old who has missed 19 games the last 3 seasons.

I'd hope that they'd protect themselves and tie in his guarantees and bonuses to games played and other performance-related incentives.
 

Redball Express

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Would you do this deal for Earl Thomas if you ran the Cowboys?
https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...s-deal-for-earl-thomas-if-you-ran-the-cowboys



What, another Earl Thomas article connecting him with the Cowboys? Yes, that’s what’s happening. Now that Thomas is a free agent, there will be plenty of speculation about whether he will wear the Star until he either signs with Dallas or with another team.

When he was still with Seattle last year, we know that the Cowboys and the Seahawks had discussions about trading him, that went all the way back to the offseason before the draft. It never came to fruition but it did show Dallas had interest. Now that he’s a free agent, the question is just how much would it take to sign him? ESPN steps in and gives us a marker.

Dallas signs Thomas to a four-year, $40 million deal

It seems almost inevitable that the Cowboys will go after Earl Thomas, given his history in Texas and the presence of former Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard on their coaching staff. With Tony Romo’s contract finally off the books, the Cowboys have the cap space to consummate their long-held interest in the future Hall of Famer...
Yes you sign him.

He gets his deal and you use that deal to leverage other deals.

The cap will increase more and you will use his contract to redo it and borrow cap space as time goes on.

Having Zeke and Dak on the books soon allows the same thing.

What is the matter with you guys?

Everybody is harping about the money.

It's about winning while you can.

After 25 years of stumbling in the dark and whistling past the graveyard..

it's time to go all out for 2-3 years and let the chips fall where they will.
 

MysteryIceGuro

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No. Give me Landon Collins. Earl Thomas is in his 30's how and coming off a season ending industry. And safety was hardly the problem last year.

What are the odds that the Giants even let him go? Even if so, would he come to the Cowboys? I’d love to have him, but we have a higher chance of getting Earl than we do if getting Landon.
 

ShiningStar

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30 years later

We believe the Cowboys will sign Early Thomas this year, stay tuned.
 

kiheikiwi

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As Redball said above, yes you sign him ! Yes, it is a bit of a risk - but if you give him the signing bonus then tie his remaining money to incentives/playing time, we're golden. If he does not play out the whole contract thru injury or whatever, the team is covered.
The positives are, you bring in a solid veteran who can help teach the young guys not only the nuances of the game, but also how to prepare/film room etc. And also help the young safety we will be drafting this year to replace Heath …...
He gets his funny money # he wants, and can play out his final few years in Texas, and be that senior mentor/extension of Richards I think we need. If the team covers itself monetarily - how is this not a good thing ?
 

Hawkeye19

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I'd do the deal with some protection around his injury history with the 4th year being structured to cut him if his play declines. If he plays and stays healthy-- I am fine with 4 years for 40 million. He is still a great player and he can help mold this young defense in some ways that will help them develop under Richard.
 

Ddisco22

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I'd do the deal with some protection around his injury history with the 4th year being structured to cut him if his play declines. If he plays and stays healthy-- I am fine with 4 years for 40 million. He is still a great player and he can help mold this young defense in some ways that will help them develop under Richard.
I agree, I'd grab him up, he'd have to renegotiate that contract a bit, which I'm sure he'd do with a chance to come play with the boys.
 

JonesBoys

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Earl Thomas dominated the Cowboys when they played early in the season. He is a difference maker in a secondary. Broken bones heal better than torn ligaments so let’s stop acting like he has a debilitating injury. He probably has 2-3 solid pro bowl years left in him. He will instantly be the best player in the secondary who plays with an edge. Dallas was going to trade a 2 nd round pick last year for him. If they were willing to do that they weren’t doing it for a 1 year rental they obviously planned on signing him. Now they don’t have to give up anything. I would be shocked if he is not a Cowboy come March.
 

Redball Express

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I'd do the deal with some protection around his injury history with the 4th year being structured to cut him if his play declines. If he plays and stays healthy-- I am fine with 4 years for 40 million. He is still a great player and he can help mold this young defense in some ways that will help them develop under Richard.
Absolutely.

All you had to see was Goff shred our secondary in the playoffs.

We need more help back there.

His injuries have not been serious at all.

Heath I like but he has no coverage skills.

We have Wolf Hunter and Smith to tackle in the mid secondary.

We need a playmaker like Thomas.

This is a no brainier.
 

Hawkeye19

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Absolutely.

All you had to see was Goff shred our secondary in the playoffs.

We need more help back there.

His injuries have not been serious at all.

Heath I like but he has no coverage skills.

We have Wolf Hunter and Smith to tackle in the mid secondary.

We need a playmaker like Thomas.

This is a no brainier.

Yah... it has been so long since we have had competent S play that we have forgotten what it felt like when Woody and early career Roy Williams were roaming back there.

ET is not just competent— he is elite right now. Yes, his play will deteriorate eventually, and yes, his injury history is a concern— but he adds a lethal playmaker on the backend that we have not had in decades.

Ideally— you want at least one elite playmaker at every level of your D. We would have D Law, LVE/Jaylon, and then ET. The impact of the signing would be felt immediately in terms of production— but ET would also help the young secondary absorb Richard’s defense.
 

Redball Express

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Yah... it has been so long since we have had competent S play that we have forgotten what it felt like when Woody and early career Roy Williams were roaming back there.

ET is not just competent— he is elite right now. Yes, his play will deteriorate eventually, and yes, his injury history is a concern— but he adds a lethal playmaker on the backend that we have not had in decades.

Ideally— you want at least one elite playmaker at every level of your D. We would have D Law, LVE/Jaylon, and then ET. The impact of the signing would be felt immediately in terms of production— but ET would also help the young secondary absorb Richard’s defense.
That game against us..

he was unbelievable after sitting all summer.
 

Galian Beast

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Anyone who doesn't want Earl Thomas doesn't know what a star player he is. One of the best defensive players in the league.

Players ranked him 66th best player in the league in 2018 from the 2017 season. When you consider how many positions there are and that there are 32 teams in the league, that there is offense and defense... you realize that instantly makes him a game-changing type player.

Best safety in the league.

Only the following defense players were ranked higher than him

#37 Joey Bosa, DE
#35 AJ Bouye, CB
#34 DeMarcus Lawrence, DE
#32 Jadeveon Clowney, DE
#28 Chandler Jones, DE
#26 Cameron Jordan, DE
#23 Patrick Peterson, CB
#21 Bobby Wagner, LB
#19 Everson Griffen, DE
#17 Jalen Ramsey, DE
#16 Khalil Mack, DE
#15 Calais Campbell, DE
#12 Luke Kuechly, LB
#9 Von Miller, LB
#7 Aaron Donald, DT


You'll notice this list is almost entirely defensive linemen.

Any chance you can get a player on this list, you absolutely do it. Particularly when it is at a position of need and the player wants to come here...

People against him coming here are absolutely on drugs. You can barely find a better fit out there.

Cowboys were #6th in points allowed on defense, but there are warts on the defense.

22nd in Defensive Passer rating and we had 9 interceptions all year. Earl Thomas played in 4 games last year and had 3 interceptions. He would make a very young secondary significantly better instantly, which would be great when paired with a young but up and coming linebacker corps. If the defensive line can become consistent, you're looking at a top 3 defense in the NFL.
 
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