Cowboys To Sign S Jalen Thompson

Jalen Thompson emerged as a name to watch regarding the Cowboys on Monday. The veteran safety is indeed heading to Dallas.

ESPN’s Todd Archer recently reported the Cowboys were in contact with Thompson. A deal has now been struck, according to Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL Network. This will be a three-year contract worth up to $36MM.

This deal will provide $22MM guaranteed over its first two seasons, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, with OverTheCap listing its base value at $33MM. Dallas is guaranteeing Thompson’s 2027 salary ($8MM), providing the longtime Cardinals starter some security.

A modern-day rarity as a supplemental draft choice that panned out, Thompson was a regular Cards starter for the past five seasons. The Budda Baker sidekick helped Arizona form one of the NFL’s top safety tandems. With Baker on two near-top-market contracts during Thompson’s time in the desert, the latter played out a three-year extension worth $36MM. This will represent a pay cut of sorts due to inflation, as the cap resided at $208MM when the Cardinals extended Thompson (it is at $301.2MM now).

Thompson is only entering an age-28 season. As we’ve seen numerous times in recent years, players are agreeing to shorter-term deals in hopes of cashing in again after cap spikes. Pro Football Focus graded Thompson between 26th and 36th among safeties over the past three seasons. He has not intercepted a pass since 2023, but he nabbed four that season. Thompson also has two 100-plus-tackle seasons on his resume.

The Cowboys have not re-signed Donovan Wilson, and Malik Hooker surfaced recently as a cut candidate. It looks like Hooker will be staying, as the former first-rounder agreed to a restructure earlier Monday. Markquese Bell remains on Dallas’ roster as well. Thompson’s contract will make him Dallas’ top safety priority, representing a change after all those seasons playing alongside Baker in Arizona.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.