Grading a Cowboys-Lions-Cardinals trade that puts pressure on Dak Prescott

Not all three-team trades are created equal. However, of the several that Kristopher Knox put together for Bleacher Report late last week, one of them makes more and more sense every time you look at it. Again, I applaud Knox's efforts for putting together five three-team deals to break the NFL. It is the heart of the offseason, and this sort of content keeps our brains fresh from the scorching sun.

The three-team trade proposal I want to talk about today has the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions making moves. Arizona may want to get compensation for Budda Baker in case he walks. Dallas needs to free up cap space to extend star players like CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Dak Prescott. Detroit must get more dynamic in the secondary to contend for the Super Bowl.

Here is the trade proposal Knox put forth featuring these three NFC teams of note. Go check this out!

Arizona gets Brandin Cooks and two draft picks in this deal. Dallas gains Donovan Peoples-Jones, Craig Reynolds and Hendon Hooker in the trade, as well as a future Lions pick. Detroit picks up Baker. The Arizona and Detroit hauls are pretty self-explanatory, while Dallas gains another intriguing asset in this. Hooker was too an SEC star. Could he be a possible replacement candidate for Prescott?

A fully healthy Hooker could be the ideal stop-gap quarterback for Dallas before they draft another.

Three-team trade proposal puts even more pressure onto Dak Prescott

Over the last decade, Hooker was one of the most fun quarterbacks to watch go to work in the SEC. He was a revelation at Tennessee. Instrumental in the Vols' turnaround under Josh Heupel, it is a shame how his college career ended, and that he got shafted from attending the 2022 Heisman Trophy ceremony. Prescott was elite at Mississippi State, but it was nearly a decade ago in 2014-15.

I think with Prescott finishing up his fourth season at $40 million annually, you have to wonder if the open market will pay him closer to $60 million. When he is playing up to his potential, he is a top-eight quarterback in the league. Dallas may be able to get him to stay for a hometown discount, but even then that may be too much money for them. The Cowboys are in a terrible spot with a hard salary cap.

For Arizona, I would be reticent to do the deal because I honestly think the Cardinals will sneak up on some people this season. The players seem to have bought into what head coach Jonathan Gannon is selling. More importantly, I love what their general manager Monti Ossenfort has done over the last two offseasons. If Baker wants out, I get it, but if he can be convinced, I would try to get him to stay.

For Dallas, this trade signifies that 2024 is truly a make-or-break year for the Cowboys. WIth so much uncertainty surrounding the team beyond this season, you would have to wonder if Hooker would get a serious look at being the starter if Dallas were to somehow let Prescott walk in his free agency. The moment Prescott walks out the door, the Cowboys are in rebuild mode. Jerry Jones won't want that...

And for Detroit, this is the type of move you make to try to get yourself over the top. I may have the Lions as my pick to win Super Bowl 59 over the Kansas City Chiefs down in New Orleans, but a lot can change between now and mid-February. I will say though, that adding a player of Baker's caliber on an expiring contract is the type of mutually beneficial moves contending teams typically end up making.

Overall, the bones of this trade seem to make sense to me, but the timing feels a bit off to be honest.

Grade: Arizona Cardinals (A-), Dallas Cowboys (B+), Detroit Lions (A), Overall (A-)