Rumor: Cowboys, Seahawks discussed deal centered around Earl Thomas and the 50th pick

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know very well about the Earl Thomas-to-Dallas Cowboys speculation. Following the Cowboys week 16 loss to the Seahawks on Christmas Eve, the Pro Bowl safety out of the University of Texas told Jason Garrett to “come get me”.

The months between that moment and today, the beginning of the 2018 NFL Draft, have only led to more and more speculation about Thomas returning to the Lone Star State. We have covered the potential story on BTB for months now. Blogging The Boys own RJ Ochoa recently wrote that if the highly speculated trade is going to happen, it’s going to have to happen soon. As in, very soon.

At this point we’re all fairly confident that the Cowboys are going to draft somewhere in the first round, a trade sure would be fun, but it’s their second- and third-round picks that have been seemingly floated out (at least by most of us) over the last few months.

Tuesday marks the four-month anniversary of Earl Thomas chasing down Jason Garrett at the very stadium the draft is going to be held at, telling him to go get him if he had the chance. The week of chance has arrived.

Facts are that if the Cowboys are indeed going to pull off an Earl Thomas trade, whether for a second- or third-round pick, that time is now. No team, let alone one like the Seattle Seahawks, is going to trade a player of that caliber for anything once this draft is over.

Well, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported this morning that the Cowboys and Seahawks have discussed a trade centered around the All-Pro defensive back and the Cowboys’ second-round draft pick.

There’s a sense around the league that the Dallas Cowboys aren’t done making a push for Thomas, who’d fill a major need on their defense. Two sources said the trade discussions between Seattle and Dallas have centered around the Cowboys’ second-round pick (No. 50 overall) but that no deal will be done until the Cowboys figure out whether they can sign Thomas long term. Thomas has one year and $8.5 million left on his contract, which would make him a great deal for the 2018 Cowboys. But dealing a second-rounder for a one-year rental wouldn’t make a lot of sense. If a deal gets struck, expect news of a Thomas contract extension with Dallas to follow.

This is a new development, because Mike Fisher reported just yesterday that the two sides have not re-visited the deal.

Who knows what occurred between Wednesday and Thursday morning, maybe nothing, maybe something.

Thomas, 28, starred for the Texas Longhorns during his college days and has been one of the elite defensive backs in the entire league. He is coming off of a season in which the All-Pro played in 14 games, totaling 88 tackles, seven pass deflections, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and a touchdown.

It was reported in January that Thomas was willing to hold out for a new contract. Then, earlier this month Thomas did not report to Seattle’s voluntary workouts.

Would you give up the 50th pick in the draft for the veteran safety?