Dallas Cowboys: How much will Earl Thomas and Landon Collins cost?

The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a free agent safety and will probably be considering Earl Thomas and Landon Collins this March.

When free agency hits this March, two players who are sure to garner interest around the league are Earl Thomas and Landon Collins. For a team like the Dallas Cowboys, either player would provide an instant upgrade to the safety position.

In coming days we’ll look at how these players fit and whether or not they’d be wise signings. Today, we’ll largely focus on the contract expectations. Specifically what kind of money they’ll be looking for and for what duration. We’ll start with Earl…

How much will Earl Thomas demand?

Coming off injury it’s tough to say what the market will bring. Especially since we’ve seen the going price for a starting safety tank in recent seasons. Pre-injury, Thomas was said to be demanding to be the highest paid safety in the NFL (north of $14 million per season). Even with expecting a full recovery, it’s tough to imagine that’s a realistic figure right now.

the duration of the deal may be more important than the actual annual dollar amount.

To the Dallas Cowboys, the duration of the deal may be more important than the actual annual dollar amount. If Dallas can sign him to a four-year deal with all the guaranteed money in the first three (which is pretty typical), Thomas may be irresistible to them.

At only 29-years-old, Earl’s far from washed up and a deal like mentioned above would only lock him in through age 32. After that Dallas could either keep him for the last year or cut him without dead money ramifications.

Projected contract: 4-years, $40 million ($25 million guaranteed)

Landon Collins

Many folks in Cowboys Nation have turned their sights on NFC East rival, Landon Collins. It makes sense too since Collins is just 25-years-old and already considered one of the best in the game. While he plays a different position than Earl, he would also be a Day 1 starter and upgrade to the safety position.

The problem is the New York Giants want to sign Collins as well. And while they were doing their sell-off before the deadline last season, they resisted the urge to include Collins for hopes of retaining him. Hoping to sign him away from them is almost as crazy as an outside team hoping to sign DeMarcus Lawrence away from Dallas. The home team probably won’t let it happen.

At the very least the Giants can slap him with the franchise tag and go from there. They have more than enough cap space and would have no reservations using it at a cost of roughly $12 million. It’s unknown what size of contract Collins is looking for exactly, but Pro Football Focus has him listed in their Top-10 most expensive free agents and projects he’ll command 5-years, $57.5 million with $34.5M guaranteed.

Projected contract: 5-years, $60 million ($37 million guaranteed)