Jalen Thompson is a veteran safety who signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2026 after six seasons in Arizona.
Thompson agreed to a three-year deal with Dallas early in the 2026 offseason after spending his first six NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The Washington State product entered the league through the supplemental draft and grew into a long-time starter. He brings range and ball skills to a revamped Cowboys secondary.
Path to the league
Thompson played college football at Washington State, where he was a productive safety for the Cougars. The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Supplemental Draft. He developed into a full-time starter in Arizona and remained a fixture in the secondary for years.
Career highlights
Thompson established himself as a reliable starting safety across his six seasons with the Cardinals, regularly logging full-time snaps. In the 2026 offseason he agreed to a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys reportedly worth up to $36 million. He joined a Dallas defense that overhauled its coaching staff and secondary.
2025 season
Thompson played 15 games for Arizona in 2025, finishing with 95 tackles and one interception. He allowed 38 catches on 61 targets with three touchdowns and posted his lowest career defensive completion percentage at 62.3%. Pro Football Focus graded him at 68.7, ranking 34th among NFL safeties for the season.
Sources
- ESPN: Sources - Cowboys reach deal with safety Jalen Thompson
- ESPN: Jalen Thompson player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
15 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | cardinals | 15 | 95 | 58 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | cardinals | 15 | 98 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2023 | cardinals | 15 | 78 | 59 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2022 | cardinals | 17 | 110 | 79 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 2021 | cardinals | 17 | 121 | 79 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2020 | cardinals | 5 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | cardinals | 15 | 57 | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Washington State
- Hometown
- Downey, CA, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
