On Monday morning, Cleveland Browns superstar defender Myles Garrett publicly requested a trade. Naturally, my Dallas Cowboys-obsessed brain immediately commenced mental gymnastics and calculations. It wasn’t long before I concluded: Nah, it can’t happen.
But Cooper Kupp? Now, I could see it happening, even though I need a big dose of optimism added in the equations.
For those who missed it, Kupp announced on social media the Los Angeles Rams’ intentions to trade him and expressed discontent with the decision, noting he expected to be a Ram for life.
In all seriousness though, could the Cowboys make it work? Would they?
The answer is complicated. Here’s the thing about the Cowboys front office: Through their actions and comments, they’ve convinced us they can’t make any of this kind of trades happen. Even though they are.
If and when asked, the Jones will point out Kupp is set to have a $29 million cap hit. They’ll remind fans of the forever scary monster called the salary cap. They’ll for sure grab a copy of Dak Prescott’s and CeeDee Lamb’s contract, wave it up in the air and say You see this? We’ve spent enough! No más!
But ask a Philadelphia Eagles fan and they won’t bat an eye. They know they’ll be right in the thick of it. And that’s despite the fact that they’ve already paid Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and other stars. It’s because GM Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ ownership views roster-building differently. They find ways to add players when opportunities come up.
The Cowboys, though it’s true their salary cap situation is currently tight, could snap their fingers and create close to $100 million in cap space for 2025. All it would take would be simple contract restructures to the deals of Prescott, Lamb, Terence Steele, Trevon Diggs, and a few others. Extending Micah Parsons would significantly drop his cap hit, as well, and the star pass rusher has said he wants to get a deal done early for the same reason.
It’s also true big-name player trades around the league have produced some financial wizardry from those in charge to make them more feasible. Renegotiations can and have happened in these cases.
I don’t expect the Cowboys to be in the mix for Kupp but they should. They’ll cite the salary cap as a reason for their not participating in the sweepstakes for the Rams receiver but it will be an excuse and nothing more.
I’ll add this: Wide receiver is a top need for the Cowboys. While it’s true Lamb is one of the best in the game, it’s fair to question if any of the other wide receivers on the team would be starting elsewhere. On top of that, Brandin Cooks is headed to free agency. Jalen Tolbert might be the second-best wide receiver under contract. Not great, Bob!
Now granted, Kupp hasn’t been the same elite receiver he once was. In fact, he’s been on a steady decline since that Super Bowl run with the Rams in 2021-2022. But the Cowboys wish they had a receiver that could be a No. 2 like he could.