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A snapshot from the 2025 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets.
The New York Jets could go back to the well to pull off a historic deal.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed a hypothetical blockbuster trade that could shake up both the 2026 and 2027 NFL drafts respectively.
Dallas Cowboys receive: a 2026 first-round pick (No. 2 overall) and a 2027 fifth-round pick
New York Jets receive: a 2026 first-round pick (No. 12 overall), a 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 112 overall), a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick
“Well, let’s get creative. What if the Cowboys absolutely, positively love one of the defensive players in this draft and want to make sure they get that guy on their roster immediately?” Barnwell openly asked.
“If the Cowboys are willing to do this deal, they move all the way up behind the Raiders, who presumably are going quarterback at No. 1. Does Jones want Reese? Bailey? Bain? Styles? Doesn’t matter. He can get whoever he wants to make an immediate impact for the Cowboys at No. 2. With this trade, the Cowboys also hold onto the 20th pick, which would allow them to address the secondary, either by selecting a player or moving down for extra draft capital. Suddenly, Jones can feel like his team is actually … stacked on defense?” Barnwell wrote.
The Jets Thinking Behind This Potential Move
“For the Jets, this would be about adding draft capital and recalibrating for when they’ll need picks most. Darren Mougey would add another first-round pick with this move down, which is great, but the Jets would crucially capture that first-rounder in 2027,” Barnwell said.
Interestingly, the Jets already own the better of the Cowboys’ first-rounders in 2027. One of the key components of the Quinnen Williams trade was getting a conditional No. 1 pick next year.
Whoever has the better pick between the Green Bay Packers (Micah Parsons deal) and the Cowboys will go to the Jets.
If this proposed draft trade happened, that pick would no longer be conditional because the Jets would own both of those selections.
“More importantly, that pick comes in the 2027 draft, when the Jets expect to be adding their quarterback of the future. They would now have four first-round picks in their 2027 war chest, matching their total from the 2000 draft, when Gang Green landed Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, Chad Pennington, and Anthony Becht in Round 1. Those are picks the Jets can use to either directly add their quarterback of the future, add talent around that signal-caller, or move around the first round to make sure they can get the guy they want,” Barnwell added.
Are the Jets Willing to Make This Move?
Adding a fourth first-rounder in 2027 would be huge, but at what cost?
There is a sizable difference in the type of player you can get at pick No. 2 versus pick No. 12.
According to the NFL draft value chart, the Jets’ combo of picks they’d be giving up to Dallas is worth (2,629 points). While the Cowboys’ picks are worth (2,460 points).
So it wouldn’t be an even trade, and the Jets would be moving out of the range of landing a blue-chip player in this class. That is a hefty price to pay for something that won’t help you immediately in 2026.
NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY left the Annual League Meetings saying the Jets are “open and willing” to trade back from the No. 2 overall pick in this class. How far they’d be willing to move back is the question that remains unanswered at this point.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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