Cowboys Trade For Tyreek Hill Urged By Dallas Legend

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are vowing to alter their approach to free agency spending in the 2025 NFL offseason ... and one "America's Team'' legend obviously believes them.

Why else, after all, would Emmitt Smith be touting the idea of team owner Jerry Jones trading for Tyreek Hill?

The Cowboys have 25 players who are set to hit free agency on March 12, and one of the priorities for Jones and company is to "sign our own.''

But if that's all Dallas does? The roster will only stay the same, as opposed to getting better.

And given that this roster went 7-10 last year? That obviously will not do.

Enter Cowboys legend and NFL all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith, with an idea that certainly matches (or exceeds?) COO Stephen Jones' pledge to be "selectively aggressive'' in pursuit of talent.

"Maybe we need to go after Tyreek Hill, someone that can go down the field and give CeeDee Lamb a chance to work underneath," Smith said.

If you want Dallas to "make a splash''? That would do it.

But Emmitt - who is right about the Dak Prescott-led offense needing more weaponry - may not be plugged into the problems with his idea. And there are three of those ...

One, Hill can be, to put it politely, a behavioral problem. One surface example showed itself in the last game of the season Miami when he pulled himself out of the game and publicly announced he wished to be traded.

He later recanted the statement ... but Tyreek is still Tyreek in terms of the issues he can cause inside the building.

Two, Hill last year failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2019, and he's about to turn 31. His speed and elusiveness has made him one of the most dangerous weapons of his era. But some of that might be fading.

And three, as always, the finances.

The Dolphins reworked Hill’s contract just a year ago to make him a $30 million per year guy. The three-year, $90 million deal includes a $65 million guarantee. And if they trade him pre-June 1?

It would cost them just more than $28 million in dead money.

On paper, a Lamb/Hill combination would pair the First-Team All-Pro selections from 2023. That year, their combined numbers were 254 receptions for 3,548 yards with 25 touchdowns.

But that was then. On two different teams. It's not realistic to expect that sort of production in a duo ... and it might not be realistic to expect Hill to be the player he once was.

Last year, Hill recorded 81 catches for 959 yards and six touchdowns. That's not a $30 million receiver. ... and a $30 million receiver with baggage is an awkward fit as a No. 2 guy in Dallas.