The first part of the Patrick Surtain equation when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys is the easy part.
"The Cowboys,'' an NFL source tells CowboysSI.com, "absolutely love Patrick Surtain.''
Good to know. But Surtain is a valued member of the Denver Broncos. ... and that's where things get complicated.
In Dallas, Cowboys watchers are still reeling from the season-ending injury loss of Trevon Diggs. An older guy in Stephon Gilmore and a younger guy in DaRon Bland are holding down the jobs now, and that can work. But Dallas' affection for the Alabama product Surtain dates back to the 2021 NFL Draft, when as CowboysSI.com reported exclusively at the time, the Cowboys were calling Miami in an attempt to move up into the top four spots in order to chase a cornerback, Surtain or Jaycee Horn. (The Cowboys, unable to pull off that deal, ended up drafting Micah Parsons, which worked out pretty well.)
In 2022 he made a Pro Bowl appearance and was a First-Team All-Pro selection. He's just 23 and a cornerstone player in Denver, and he views himself as a "Bronco for Life,'' as he recently stated.
"Yeah, definitely," Surtain said regarding his future in Denver. "I plan on being here my whole career. That's how I want it to end up. I love the organization. I love the city."
So why would the Broncos give up on him? We've assumed up until now, frankly, that they would not. Indeed, trusted Broncos reporter Benjamin Allbright uses the word "untouchable'' when it comes to Surtain trade speculation.
Surtain is eligible for a contract extension after this season, and so even while he's under contract through 2025 (when his employer picks up his fifth-year option), a gigantic payday ($21 million APY?) is coming, and maybe that wouldn't be an issue for Dallas, even though Diggs' new deal pays him an APY of $19.4 million.
The issue, rather, is what would make the Broncos even answer the phone. A first-rounder has been guessed at by some media outlets; we bet that's wrong. And anything greatly in excess of that would leave the Dallas draft cupboard bare.
Should Jerry Jones' Cowboys made the exploratory phone call? That is almost surely going to happen anyway, as the lowly Broncos roster is about to be picked at. But while Denver might say "yes'' to ideas about receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton and linebackers like Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell, we're betting Dallas' "love'' for any version of a Surtain trade would end up being unrequited.
More must-reads: