That white star on the helmet weighs heavily. That moniker of “America’s Team” carries eminence, but it also carries implications. The 2024 NFL season served as a reminder of something a generation of football fans have been privy to for the longest time. The Dallas Cowboys aren’t too big to fail. That ongoing championship drought was at least being papered over by recurring playoff appearances. But even that armor melted last year, and owner/GM Jerry Jones has been left bare to contend with an ambush of criticism. Injuries muddled the outcome last year, but the roster he’s assimilated was thin regardless. Not just on quality but on star power. As a result, one big voice in football media—whose words wouldn’t fall on deaf ears—has a Travis Hunter-shaped proposition for Jerry.

Conceded, Dak Prescott being out for essentially the season meant the Cowboys were doomed. Especially when coupled with Micah Parsons missing time himself and CeeDee Lamb also not at full health. That’s the trifecta of pillars the roster and franchise are standing on right now. But think back to the last offseason. It got lost in the pageantry that surrounded Dak’s historic contract extension, but there was already concern around the roster.

The RB room epitomized these concerns. Alas, Jerry Jones will want to let bygones be bygones and focus on the draft. It’s something he’s been relatively good at historically but faltered in recently. Their poor season has afforded the Cowboys an unusually high pick. But rather than trying to make a shrewd selection at #12 that may or may not work, Rich Eisen wants Jerry Jones to swing for the fences. Trade up for Travis Hunter.

In a vacuum, this makes sense. Hunter is probably the most guaranteed All-pro to come out of college in years. The Cowboys are strictly in win-now mode. Rather than hoard picks for the future, there’s a rationale for throwing the kitchen sink at the Cleveland Browns and trading up to 2nd overall. Draft Travis Hunter and reap the rewards in a variety of ways. This unicorn is a Swiss Army Knife. There are multiple ways he can help, on and off the gridiron. On the Rich Eisen Show, the namesake host made his plea to Jerry Jones to make this happen. As well as an elaborate explanation of why. “I’m going to repeat this, and I’m going to keep saying this. I’m going to pound this drum for the next 10 days,” said Eisen. Before staring down the barrel of the camera and speaking directly to Jerry Jones.

“Jerry Jones, go trade for Travis Hunter. Go do it,” said Rich Eisen. “You need an injection of super stardom. You need it [and] you know you want it,” he continued. In relation to this aspect, Eisen basically spoke about how Hunter’s arrival extends to Cowboys legend Deion Sanders, who is vicariously involved with the franchise again. Which will naturally bring more eyeballs and drive revenue. Something Jerry Jones has been notorious at giving precedence to over putting his franchise in the best position to win. Eisen even pointed to those infamous stadium tours and how Hunter can breathe life into every aspect of the franchise. He’s prepared for Jerry to trade massive draft capital as he delves into the on-field reasons why this sensational idea indeed makes sense.

Rich Eisen, still speaking to Jerry Jones directly, said, “You need help on offense for your quarterback, don’t you? Let’s add [Hunter] to CeeDee Lamb. You need help on the back end of your defense, maybe? You’re handling your business there. So maybe that’s why [Hunter] would major on offense in Dallas. [But] then on occasion, you need to make sure AJ Brown is handled. You need to make sure DeVonta Smith is handled… Malik Nabers [is handled],” Travis Hunter and CeeDee Lamb on your receiving corps. really is an exciting proposition. The argument Eisen made for Hunter playing part-time cornerback is also fair. Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland are stars in the secondary. But with how good receivers are in the NFC East, no amount of additional help is enough. But all 32 franchises could do with Travis Hunter. Is this a realistic possibility?

The short answer is no. The amount of draft capital it would cost Jerry Jones to move up into the top 3 will be unprecedented since the player is also unprecedented. It’ll leave the franchise hamstrung. But suspend disbelief and imagine Jerry wanted to pull the trigger on this. He’s shown he can make massive splurges against conventional wisdom (that Dak contract, for instance). But if there even was a window of opportunity, an opening of any sort, it’s now smaller than it was 24 hours ago. 

Jerry Jones’ unlikely pursuit of Travis Hunter now more unlikely than ever

There’s a reason I said Jerry Jones will have to make a trade with the Browns if he wants Travis Hunter in Arlington. Throughout the previous week, there’s been credible reporting that the Browns are trending toward picking Hunter 2nd overall rather than the closest alternative, EDGE Abdul Carter. Adam Schefter explicitly said this as well. Today, this got further solidified. 

Schefter himself reported that Abdul Carter visited the New England Patriots facility on Monday, April 14th. The report also said this is the team with the lowest picking he should visit. For context, Mike Vrabel and the Pats hold the 4th pick. So, for Carter to visit Foxborough does imply there’s a world where he’d go 4th overall. This scenario can only materialize if Travis Hunter surpasses Carter. All this means that Jerry Jones will essentially need to trade into the top 3 if he wants his guy. There are no surprise slides and no discounts. And trading from 12th to 2nd/3rd shall exact a cost that, quite frankly, could be deemed too much to justify.

But even with that said, you can never count out Jerry Jones. Can’t count out his yearning for anything that’ll make the Cowboys the biggest talking point in the country, which trading for Hunter will. Rich Eisen realizes this, and so do the fans. Will it be wise? Probably not. Will it be fun? Yes. Is Jerry capable of something as eccentric and outlandish? Absolutely.