(AP)—The Tennessee Titans finally washed their hands of suspended cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones on Wednesday, agreeing in principle to trade him to the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple confirmed the teams had an agreement, but no terms had been filed with the NFL office, which already had closed for the day.
The Titans also confirmed the deal, adding that terms had to be finalized. The team had no further comment beyond a two-sentence e-mail.
Dalrymple declined to discuss specifics of the trade.
“What I can confirm is that we have agreed in principle with the Tennessee Titans on a trade that will bring Adam Jones to the Cowboys,” Dalrymple said.
He declined to say who or what the Cowboys might give up in the trade. Specifics likely will be announced Thursday or Friday, Dalrymple said.
ESPN.com reported the deal involved a fourth-round draft pick this weekend and another in 2009 if Jones plays this season. The Titans would pay back that selection in 2009 if Jones is not reinstated for this season.
Agent Manny Arora said Wednesday night that they had not been told of the trade by either team, but were cautiously optimistic. Jones has talked often of his desire to play for the Cowboys in recent weeks, even appearing on Michael Irvin’s radio show in Texas.
“We recognize the fact of where we are with regards to the league,” Arora said. “We recognize the fact he’s got a guaranteed contract with Tennessee, and we recognize the fact there’s risks involved at this point. We also recognize there’s significant public relations implications for the teams, and in fact Dallas has to sell tickets, the knowledge their fan base has a point of view.
“With all that in mind, we’ve said from Day 1 we’re willing to rework our contract. Once the trade gets completed or official, we’ll be ready to do our part because we want to play for Dallas. I don’t have any hesitation saying we can get this done and get it done quickly.”
Jones was scheduled for a base salary of $1.74 million in 2008 and had been under contract through 2009 before his suspension.
He was the first defensive player drafted in 2005, sixth overall out of West Virginia, and easily was Tennessee’s best defender in 2005 and `06. His four career interceptions came in 2006 as he helped the Titans to an 8-8 record. He also led the NFL in punt-return average in 2006 with 12.9 yards per return and three touchdowns.
But six arrests and 12 incidents where police were called since being drafted led to his suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in April 2007 for the season. Goodell declined to ease that punishment when Jones appealed to return after sitting out 10 games and now will only say that he’ll reconsider reinstating the cornerback before training camps open.
My Take:
Dallas Got Pac-Man Jones. Hopefully he gets his life straight once he gets reinstated. He is a great defensive back and a great return man, if he stays out of trouble.
I personally would not have done this trade. Pac-Man has been in too much trouble already. I would have done the smart thing and not drafted him in college, as there were red flags about him while he was in college.
Jerry Jones is propelling Dallas torwards the Goal of a Sixth Super Bowl Title. Was Pac-Man Worth the risk?
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