Proposed Quarterback Trade Has Cowboys Swinging Deal With NFC Foe

Getty Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush should have plenty of suitors when free agency begins.

The Dallas Cowboys face a dilemma at quarterback not only with the team’s current hot streak but the future of Cooper Rush. With Dak Prescott nearing a return to the field, Rush will once again resume his role as backup quarterback but his value around the league has never been higher.

Rush will be a free agent this offseason and the Cowboys are in danger of losing the quarterback without getting anything in return. Heavy.com’s NFL insider Matt Lombardo labeled the 49ers as a potential trade partner given Trey Lance’s season-ending injury.

What could the Cowboys land if they opted to trade Rush? Lombardo sees Rush’s potential value after his recent surge as being in the range of a third to fourth-round pick.

“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has referred to Jimmy Garoppolo as a ‘really good plan B,’ but what is the Niners’ backup plan, for their backup plan at quarterback, who has returned to the starting lineup after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery?” Lombardo wrote on September 30, 2022. “With Trey Lance sidelined for at least the rest of this season, potentially deep into the offseason, and Garoppolo back in the bay area on a one-year deal, San Francisco’s future at quarterback is far murkier today than it was before the 2022 campaign kicked off.

“Would an insurance policy on Garoppolo for the rest of this season — in a division that is right there for the 49ers’ taking — not to mention on Lance being fully healthy and fully prepared to play at a high level in 2023, with a loaded roster, be worth a third or fourth-round pick?”

Rush Will Likely Look to Sign With a Team Where He Has a Chance to be the QB1

Rush has tried to downplay the idea that there is a quarterback controversy in Dallas. Yet, Rush admitted that he feels his recent play shows his potential as a starting quarterback.

“I spoke to him [Rush] after the game. He said he thinks he’s proven he can be a starter in the NFL elsewhere and he’s ignoring any noise about a potential controversy in Dallas – even if some if it is coming from Jerry Jones himself,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted during the October 2 edition of NBC’s “Football Night in America.”

Trading Rush Would Be Risky Business for the Cowboys

Even if the Cowboys could land a future mid-round draft pick by trading Rush, would it be worth the risk given Prescott’s recent injury history? Prescott is expected to return to the field by Week 6 against the Eagles, but the quarterback has missed significant time in two of the past three seasons. Dallas would be wise to keep Rush as insurance in case Prescott sustains a setback after returning.

One thing that is certain, Rush is due to for a raise from his current $1 million salary. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes Rush’s perfect 4-0 record as a starter has made the quarterback “a ton of money.”

“The Cowboys improved to 3–1 with Cooper Rush at quarterback,” Breer detailed on October 3. “One, congrats to Dallas—winning three in a row with your starting quarterback on the shelf isn’t easy. Two, Rush just made himself a ton of money. I’ll bet, off this little stretch, he gets offers for backup jobs and cashes some pretty nice checks, too.”

Time will tell if Dallas will be able to re-sign Rush in 2023, but owner Jerry Jones is likely more than willing to give the quarterback a sizable raise to remain as the Cowboys backup. The challenge will be if an opposing team comes calling with not only a lucrative contract, but a starting job as well.