The Cowboys traded cornerback Pet Hunter to the New York Jets on Thursday for a conditional sixth-round draft choice in 2006. The pick could be upgraded to a fifth-round pick in 2007 if Hunter meets certain incentives.
Rumors had be crossing wires for the past couple of days that a trade was in the works. In the mean time, Hunter flew to New York to take a physical, which he passed. The concern was the anterior cruciate ligament that he tore in week 3 against the Washington Redskins – an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2004 season.
With Hunter gone, Lance Frazier, Jacques Reeves, Nate Jones, Bruce Thornton and Lenny Williams will be competing for the playing time that Hunter would have received.
Hunter, a fifth-round pick out of Virginia Union in 2002, won the starting cornerback job in training camp last year after Mario Edwards signed a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
When the Cowboys signed Browns free-agent cornerback Anthony Henry in March, Hunter was approached about moving back to his natural position of safety – a position he played in college. Hunter balked at the idea, insisting that he would play cornerback.
A few weeks later, he reportedly said that he would play anywhere he was needed.
A restricted free agent this year, Hunter received no interest during the free agency period, so he signed the Cowboys’ one-year tender of $655,000.
"We have three proven players at cornerback, and when you get down to your fourth and fifth cornerbacks, you usually want someone who is a little more on the come than Pete was," Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said. "Pete is in the last year of his contract, and now he's got a new chance with a new team. It was the best move for the organization."
With the signing of Henry and the investment the Cowboys made in drafting Terrance Newman, the team would be hard pressed to sign Hunter to a lucrative deal next season. In that scenario, the Cowboys would lose him outright. As it is, the Cowboys garner at least a 6th round pick and possibly a 5th rounder.
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