Dallas Trades Walker to the Vikings

The Dallas Cowboys traded running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings today for five players and a number of draft picks, the team said today.

The players obtained from the Vikings are linebacker Jesse Solomon, David Howard, cornerback Issiac Holt, defensive end Alex Stewart and running back Darrin Nelson.

The Cowboys also received one first-round draft choice and six conditional draft picks over the next three years. The conditional picks could be two first-round picks, three second-round picks and one third-round pick.

Walker moved his belongings out of the Cowboys suburban headquarters early today.

“I’m outta here, but I’ve got a lot of good memories,” Walker told Cowboys Assistant Equipment Manager Jerry Fowler as he cleaned out his locker at Valley Ranch before dawn.

“He’s accepted the deal to play for Minnesota,” said Lee Martin, producer of Walker’s Dallas TV show. “From what Herschel told me, it’s not so much that he wants to go to Minnesota, he just feels that he wasn’t wanted here.”

Vikings General Manager Mike Lynn visited Walker’s home Wednesday to try to persuade him to join Minnesota. After negotiating since June, the Vikings and Cowboys agreed to a package this week for Walker, who had spent several days trying to make up his mind on the matter.

“I’m going to be a Dallas Cowboy for the rest of my career, I hope,” Howard said in Minneapolis.

“It’s good news for the Cowboys. It’s good news for the Minnesota Vikings because they’re getting Herschel Walker,” Howard said.

“We gave up too much. We gave up an awful lot on defense,” Nelson said, adding that he was not sure if he would play with the Cowboys.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Coach Jimmy Johnson, who took over the team in February and have struggled to an 0-5 start, had no immediate comment.

Fowler said Walker told him, “I’ll never forget my years in Dallas. I loved Dallas and I intend to keep my home here, but it’s time to move on.”

Walker told Fowler that he will play against the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings’ opponent, on Sunday. Walker just played against the Packers for the Cowboys last Sunday.

Martin was not as sure.

“I haven’t talked to him about that, but based on everything else, they wouldn’t put him in there Sunday because he isn’t familiar with the blocking schemes and the system,” Martin said.