Jamal Adams trade reminds Dallas Cowboys fans of 1989 trade

The recent trade of Jamal Adams is reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboys’ greatest trade of all-time

Many Dallas Cowboys fans remember the effect on the direction of the organization the day Herschel Walker was sent to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for eight draft picks and several other players. The impact of the perfectly executed plan by then-head coach Jimmy Johnson in his first season taking over for legendary coach Tom Landry was massive. That’s why it’s known as The Great Train Robbery.

Out of those eight draft picks, the Cowboys acquired the greatest statistical running back of all-time in Emmitt Smith, a five-time Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson, a key wide receiver in Alvin Harper, and several others making up a total of nine NFL starters. The Cowboys walked away with a young nucleus to add to quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin.

The Vikings acquired in Walker a running back who was coming off two straight Pro Bowls and had posted 1,500-yards in 1988. He would never go on to post a better season though having to suffer through a pass-first offense in Minnesota. Walker only lasted 42-games in the Twin City, 43-games if you include the 1989 blow out loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoff round, a 41-13 rout.

The Dallas Cowboys went on to win three Super Bowls.

The Dallas Cowboys have Post Traumatic Stress from that trade, in a good way …

The lesson learned from the Walker trade was that a vast sum of assets is usually never worth it for a position that’s not a quarterback. Even back then, when the running back was quantified with more weight than the modern-day, this trade still proved to be a Jimmy Johnson heist. It showed that no franchise should give up too much for one player, the Cowboys learned the lesson by watching the Vikings suffer while they went on to win the three championships.

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So, it might not be too far fetched that general manager Jerry Jones and his front office group still understand when too much is being asked for one player. A reason why the team did not relinquish two first-round picks for safety Jamal Adams. Adams went from the New York Jets to the Seattle Seahawks this week in exchange for two first-rounders, a third-round pick, and a proven starting safety in Bradley McDougald.

Jamal Adams expressed verbal interest in joining America’s Team but the asking price was always too high for the franchise to pull the trigger. The Dallas Cowboys just had to look back to 1989 for the precedent. If the Seattle Seahawks go on to win a Super Bowl with Adams, I’ll eat my words. But these trades don’t usually work out for the team pouring out future assets. Dallas made the correct decision to pass on this latest version of Herschel Walker.