Dallas eyes a Seattle standout to bolster their pass rush. Can the Cowboys poach a key piece from the Super Bowl champions?
It is obviously the intention of Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider to "keep the gang together'' after his team's magnificent run to a Super Bowl win.
But elsewhere in the NFC and beyond? It is the intention of the Seahawks' rivals to pick away and poach the NFL-best roster.
Enter the Dallas Cowboys, who are in need of defensive end help this offseason. Yes, Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson loom as the Tier 1 options in Big D, but there are so many other options.
Busting the budget, as Jerry Jones stated, is clearly at the front of Dallas fans' minds when they think of free agency, but just because the Cowboys have the means to go all out to add talent doesn't mean they have to.
Yes, adding a player like Crosby or Hendrickson would be superb for them and fill a key need.
But what if there are other players out there who, for a fraction of the cost, offer a decent punch for new coordinator Christian Parker's defense?
Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano has urged Dallas to sign Seattle Seahawks edge Boye Mafe.
"Perhaps the best way for the Cowboys to fill the gaping hole that Micah Parsons left after being traded to the Packers is to follow the lead of the Seahawks, who had an abundance of pass rushers en route to winning the Super Bowl," Manzano wrote.
"Mafe was a part of that dominant rotation, and with 20 career sacks, he can drastically improve Dallas’s defense."
Maye would be a nice piece to add to Parker's defense, and would be a big loss in Seattle.
But the money side of it is where most deals stall.
Spotrac.com lists Maye's market value at $12.2 million APY and a potential three-year contract worth $36 million.
That is certainly doable for the Cowboys. Is it doable for the Seahawks? NFL free agency's "legal tampering period'' opens on March 9. So we're about to find out how much of an exodus Schneider will be dealing with.