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Jonathan Greenard #58 of the Minnesota Vikings has been connected to the Cowboys in trade rumors.
The Dallas Cowboys have gotten through the first week of NFL free agency, and did so by making two significant moves–the trade for edge rusher Rashan Gary and the signing of safety Jalen Thompson–and a slew of smaller, one-year deals. The focus, was expected, was on adding to the defense, and while the progress there is obvious, the fact is, there is more that the Cowboys could be doing.
But with the free-agent cupboard mostly empty now, it will be up to Dallas to figure out how to make a trade to bolster the defense going forward.
The addition of Gary will help the pass rush, but for a team that was in on making a trade for Maxx Crosby and then weighing a pursuit of Trey Hendrickson when that fell apart, there is still a sense that the Cowboys need more talent among its pass-rushers. And there’s one prominent piece that is most certainly on the trade market, and who has been connected to the Cowboys: Vikings star Jonathan Greenard.
Jonathan Greenard Would Want a New Cowboys Contract
The problem with Greenard is that he is on a four-year, $78 million contract in which only half was guaranteed. The reason he is on the market at all for the Cowboys is that the Vikings don’t want to pay him the significant contract he is asking for. So trading for Greenard is a double-whammy–you give up picks, then you give up cash.
The situation is even shakier because, though Greenard racked up 12.5 sacks in his last season in Houston in 2023 and had 12.0 sacks in Minnesota in 2024, he had only 3.0 sacks in 2025 as he played through a shoulder injury that eventually required season-ending surgery.
Cowboys Would Give Up Draft Capital, Money
NFL insider Jordan Schultz was on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas this weekend and explained the situation with Greenard and the potential for a Cowboys trade.
Said Schultz: “Greenard is tricky because he is a very good player, Pro Bowl-caliber player. I think he is 27, 28. (He’s 28.) They’re trying to trade him, they’ve got multiple suitors. But the issue with him is he is gonna want a new deal. And anytime you have a guy that you’re trading for, you’ve got to give up draft capital, that is one part. But it becomes a lot more complicated when that player is gonna want a new contract.”
Jonathan Greenard ‘Has a Lot of Good Football Left’
Still, the Cowboys are too thin at edge rusher. Gary is a solid addition, but he is not a fearsome quarterback-hunter, and the Cowboys need a player like that up front. As of now, Dallas will be leaning on Donovan Ezeiruaku, Gary and the re-signed Sam Williams.
Greenard would change the outlook there.
“He has got a lot of stuff to him. He’s a very good player,” Schultz said. “And I think has a lot of really good football left. To me, that’s the type of player Dallas should go after. You mention the Rashan Gary trade, I think they still need more juice coming off the edge—he can rush, he is a really good tackler. I would be surprised if he wasn’t moved, but I also know you’re going to have to pay him a big salary on a multi-year deal and that is probably why it hasn’t happened yet.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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