Getty An "absurd" trade scenario sees the Cowboys acquire kicker Justin Tucker.
An “absurd” trade proposal would see the Dallas Cowboys acquire the best player at his position.
According to an “absurd” trade proposal list compiled by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, one of the scenarios sees the Cowboys acquire Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker in exchange for a 2023 first-round draft pick.
While the scenario is very unlikely — which is the theme of the article — the trade would address one of Dallas’ biggest voids entering the offseason, which is at the kicker position.
“With a lifetime field-goal percentage of 90.5 on 401 attempts and an NFL-record 66-yard make under his belt, there is no doubting that Tucker is the class of the league when it comes to kickers,” says Kay. “He has the record for most points in NFL history during his first 10 seasons and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.”
Why the Cowboys Are Looking for a Kicker
The Cowboys struggled with the kicking game during the postseason due to the ineffectiveness of Brett Maher. Maher missed an NFL-record four extra points during the team’s playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he bounced back a little bit the following week in the playoff matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers, he did miss another extra point when it was blocked.
Acquiring Tucker — who has the strongest leg of any kicker in the league and is the most accurate in NFL history — would eliminate any concern at the kicker position for the Cowboys.
“Clutch is part of Tucker’s DNA, something the Cowboys could use if they hope to get back to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the mid-1990s,” said Kay. “Prior to missing a 67-yard attempt at the end of Week 12 this past season, Tucker had connected on 65 consecutive makes in the fourth quarter or overtime. During that stretch he never missed in the final minute of the fourth quarter (17-of-17) or overtime (5-of-5).”
Cowboys Already Committed to Moving on From Brett Maher
The Cowboys will be looking for a new kicker this offseason after revealing they’ll move on from Maher this offseason.
Jerry Jones said the Cowboys are starting over at kicker
Tucker led the NFL with 37 field goal makes, converting on 86% of his attempts. While Maher kicked less field goal attempts than Tucker, he actually converted on a higher amount of his field goals (90.6%) than Tucker before his playoff meltdown.
As Kay mentions, the trade is unrealistic for a number of reasons. One of the key reasons is Tucker’s high cap hit — he’s the highest-paid kicker at $6 million — and the fact that the Cowboys just don’t possess much cap space.
“While Tucker would be a fantastic trade score, it’s unlikely to happen given Dallas in $7.6 million over the projected cap for next season,” said Kay. “It would be tough for the club to justify taking on his hefty salary with more pressing holes to fill at positions like cornerback, wide receiver and linebacker.”
Furthermore, not only are kicker trades rare, Dallas probably wouldn’t give up a first-round draft pick for a kicker.
“Kicker trades have been historically rare, but it would likely take an extremely strong offer to get Baltimore to move on from Tucker,” said Kay. “If Dallas was willing to part with a first-rounder—it holds the No. 26 overall pick this year—it could get the Ravens to consider it given Tucker’s age (33), but it’s exceedingly unlikely the Cowboys would give up such a lofty selection for a special teamer, even if he is one of the greatest to ever play his position.”
The idea of arguably the best kicker in NFL history joining the Cowboys would be a dream scenario, but it’s just not going to happen in 2023.