Dallas

Cowboys Won't Give Up First-Round Pick for Earl Thomas: JJT

For now, the Cowboys sit. And they wait

If Seattle wants to trade safety Earl Thomas, they’ll accept the Cowboys’ offer of a second-round draft choice.

If they’re holding out for a No. 1 pick, then he won’t be playing in Dallas.

Ever.

Two sources told NBCDFW.com Wednesday that the Cowboys have recently upped their offer to Seattle for Thomas. One of those sources said the Cowboys will not offer a first-round pick.

Then again, perhaps the Seahawks are just waiting until after their Week 3 matchup against the Cowboys to get a deal done.

For now, the Cowboys sit. And they wait.

The 29-year-old Thomas, an 8-year veteran, reported to the Seahawks on Wednesday after missing all of the club’s offseason minicamps and OTAs and all of training camp in his quest to get a new contract.

He was not happy.

On Instagram, Thomas posted a picture of himself sitting on a bench press bench with 225 pounds sitting on a barbell. Beneath the picture, Thomas wrote the following post: "I’ve never let me teammates, city or fans down as long as I’ve lived and don’t plan on starting this weekend."

"With that being said, the disrespect has been well noted and will not be forgotten. Father Time may have an undefeated record but best believe I plan on taking him into triple overtime when it comes to my career," he wrote.

Thomas is in the fourth year of a $40 million deal that will pay him $8.5 million this season. He wants to be paid like Kansas City safety Eric Berry, who signed a 6-year, $78 million deal in February 2017.

We all know Thomas wants to play for the Cowboys.

He grew up in Orange, Texas, played college ball at Texas and ran up to Jason Garrett outside the Cowboys’ locker room last December and told the coach, "Come get me,” after Seattle’s 21-12 win ended the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.

He still wants the Cowboys to get him, and they’d love to have him. But Seattle has made it clear they want a premium draft package for Thomas, who has 25 career interceptions.

"That guy is an elite player," running back Ezekiel Elliott said Wednesday. "He's special. If we are able to add him to our roster, it would give us that much more of a chance.''

Thomas would be a perfect fit in Dallas, which is starving for safeties. Starter Xavier Woods has a hamstring strain that will force him to miss at least one game and Kavon Frazier is fighting through a shoulder injury that will require him to wear a harness against Carolina.

Thomas has played for Kris Richard, the Cowboys’ passing game defensive coordinator, his entire career, so it wouldn’t take much time for him to fit into the Cowboys’ secondary. He knows the scheme, and he understands how Richard wants or needs him to play.

That’s part of the allure.

The Cowboys, though, have been adamant that they don’t want to give up an asset like a second-round pick and then give Thomas a contract that would make him among the league’s highest-paid safeties.

But if a deal doesn’t get done now, the Cowboys are willing to wait until the trade deadline to acquire Thomas. If he leaves after the season, the best Seattle will do is a third-round compensatory pick.

Make no mistake, though, the Cowboys would love to have him. For the first time in forever, the Cowboys have a defense full of young talented players.

They have potential playmakers on every level of their defense — DeMarcus Lawrence at defensive end, Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith at linebacker and Chido Awuzie at cornerback — and Thomas would give them one more.

We saw a glimpse of what they could do in the preseason. The starting defense did not yield a touchdown, and they finished with five turnovers.

Turnovers not only change momentum, theoretically, they result in the offense getting good field position that can result in points. Just so you know, the last seven Super Bowl champions have averaged 28.7 turnovers per season; the Cowboys have averaged 21.7 in that same time period.

Thomas could help make the Cowboys an elite defense, if their key players play to their pedigree.

Deadlines make deals.

The Cowboys will be patient. If a deal with Seattle doesn’t get done before the season begins Sunday at Carolina, they still have the trade deadline on Oct. 30 to help them facilitate a deal.

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