'One Last Ride!' All-In' Cowboys Should Add Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins, Says Eisen; How Would That Work?
FRISCO - It is not the most original pairing of ideas. Indeed, it was written about regularly all last offseason as it appeared that Derrick Henry was on the outs with the Tennessee Titans while DeAndre Hopkins was set free by the Arizona Cardinals.
And the fact is, the Dallas Cowboys made no serious overtures to either generational standout now heading toward the end of their standout careers.
But here comes the cry again, this time from NFL Network host Rich Eisen ... who is calling for the Cowboys to make not one, but two, blockbuster moves.
On the latest edition of "The Rich Eisen Show,'' the host mentioned the most obvious transaction first: The contract extension of quarterback Dak Prescott, in large part needed to lower his $59 million cap hit so the team can do other roster business.
Eisen talks about this extension in the most dramatic of tones ... but hey, it's TV.
"You wanna go 'all in?'' Eisen added, surfing off the promise made this week by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, mentioning Henry and Hopkins. "Get guys who are hungry for a title ... they may be longer in the tooth ... but go get 'em!''
The Titans star Henry, a two-time NFL rushing champion, is now free.
Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro, is ... not free.
And that's just a small part of the problem with Eisen's proposal.
The Cowboys could out-right sign Henry (Spotrac estimates a one-year deal at $4.6 million) ... and then deal with the fact that Henry is 30 - a fact that violates a foundational belief about running backs here inside The Star.
But Hopkins would, as it stands now, be about a trade. And he's about to turn 32. And his contract for 2024 calls for him to be an $18 million guy - a couple of facts that make this less than ideal.
Cowboys Nation is no doubt intrigued by these ideas; again, you were intrigued by them a year ago. And Eisen is right in attempting to fish around for ideas that fit Jones' "all-in'' pledge.
The head coach, Mike McCarthy is on a one-year deal. Can Dallas assemble a locker room full of "One Last Ride'' stars to join him? It's a romantic notion, for sure.
One could argue that if Dallas wanted an old running back and an overpriced receiver, it could've just kept Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper. So maybe Eisen's got the wrong guys ... while in general having the right idea.
