Jerry Jones paid more for Jonathan Mingo than DeAndre Hopkins cost the Chiefs

The Jonathan Mingo trade is causing a stir.

The fact that the Carolina Panthers traded Mingo before the NFL trade deadline on November 5th is no surprise. The fact that caught everyone's attention in NFL circles is the fact that Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys decided to give the young receiver a fourth-round pick.

If that sounds steep, it is. It is very steep. Still, Jones apparently had a crush on his target and paid a lot of money to catch him.

Mingo is not without value. After all, he was a top 40 player just a year ago, so it stands to reason that a new team would be interested in a classic change of scenery deal. But the Panthers had no influence here. Mingo looked terrible. Even after replacing Diontae Johnson and without Adam Thielen and in an already lost season, the Panthers didn't use Mingo at all in the passing game to see what he could do.

To make matters worse, the very people who picked Mingo for Carolina last year are the same people who are largely in charge at Carolina this year. The people responsible for the initial investment weren't even curious about how he would perform after a single year in the NFL.

Enter Jones, who just paid a fourth-round pick for Mingo and a seventh-round pick. If that sounds ridiculous, it is. Amari Cooper was cheaper for the Bills. Mingo's teammate Diontae Johnson called for the Ravens to return only a single round on day three of the 2025 NFL Draft. The market for receivers was depressed even for productive receivers, and yet the Cowboys paid big for Mingo.

Even the Chiefs have to laugh knowing that DeAndre Hopkins, who scored just two touchdowns in prime time to lead his new team against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was just a 5th round pick that came with significant incentives could become a 4th round player. If you want to call it balanced, that's fine in terms of compensation, but Mingo has made a miserable impression as an NFL receiver

We're inclined to agree, RGIII.