Cowboys Unlikely To Trade Round 1 Pick For Veteran

Picking in the first round for the first time in two years, the Cowboys are not likely to part ways with this selection for a veteran player, per Jerry Jones (via NFL.com’s Jane Slater, on Twitter). The Cowboys pick 17th Thursday.

This is notable because of the organization’s Jamal Adams interest. The Cowboys offered a first-round pick and change for Adams before last year’s deadline, Slater reported in October. The Jets turned that offer down, but Adams is skipping their virtual offseason program. The All-Pro safety’s future with the team is murky at this point.

Adams said last year he would love to play for the Cowboys. The LSU product is a Dallas native. But at this point, Slater notes the Cowboys do not have him on the front burner. The Jets will obviously pick up Adams’ fifth-year option, tethering him to their payroll through the 2021 season.

The Cowboys traded their 2019 first-round pick for Amari Cooper and have since extended him on a $20MM-per-year deal. An Adams re-up would cost more than $15MM AAV and likely more. A high price tag — for Adams or another veteran — would play into the Cowboys’ hesitance on giving up their first-rounder, per Jones (via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer).

Dallas balked at trading a first-round pick for Earl Thomas in 2018 and opted against pursuing him in free agency last year. The team did address its years-long safety need in free agency, doing so by signing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to a low-cost deal. He is set to join incumbent Xavier Woods as a back-line starter. Woods is going into a contract year.

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