The Dallas Cowboys may have locked in wide receiver George Pickens via the franchise tag. But they may still be inclined to flip him to a rival club.
Insider Jason La Canfora explained why the Cowboys still could move Pickens before Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Cowboys acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick last year. He had a monster first season with the Cowboys, posting 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
But Pickens is seeking a long-term contract and may need to get it elsewhere besides Dallas, since it is rife with high-cost players, including their No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
The Cowboys May Still Trade George Pickens
Jerry Jones is a win-now, pay-later type of guy. But La Canfora explained why locking in Pickens, even now before he inevitably gets a raise while playing on the tag, could be a dicey proposition.
“[A trade] will be tricky to execute and Jones has clearly budgeted for what Pickens would cost him on the tag in 2026 and 2027,” La Canfora reported for Sports Boom.
Still, Pickens and the Cowboys could decide a trade would make sense for all parties, similar to how Jones executed the Micah Parsons-to-Green Bay blockbuster last August. A trade of Pickens around that time is possible.
“We wouldn’t call a trade before the July 15 deadline, during which a player can sign an extension on a franchise tag, an impossibility by any stretch, based on the chatter we’ve heard,” La Canfora reported. “Pickens must sign his franchise tag to facilitate any trade, but that wouldn’t be a problem if he approved of the team seeking his services.”
Aside from the high-priced, long-term contract, the Cowboys may balk at locking in Pickens for fear of how it may age.
“Pickens has tended to wear out his welcome relatively quickly,” La Canfora reported. “Pickens would also likely be starting at the same reality, no imminent long-term deal, even if he were dealt. However, given some his conflicts over the years, the specter to get paid sooner somewhere else would be attractive.”
The Cowboys Want a Combo of Players, Draft Picks for George Pickens
The Cowboys have insisted they are not listening to trade offers for Pickens, but a package like one they received from the Green Bay Packers for Parsons may pique Jones’ interest, according to an unnamed NFL general manager with whom La Canfora spoke.
“If he’s the No. 1 guy in a different offense, maybe he doesn’t have to play out the tag two years in a row,” one NFL GM told SportsBoom.us. “That’s what’s going through his mind. Jerry isn’t going to be excited about 2027 draft picks now.”
Aside from Lamb, the Cowboys signed veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling and have incumbents Jonathan Mingo and Ryan Flournoy on the roster. They also drafted Anthony Smith from East Carolina in the seventh round of last weekend’s draft.
All that means Dallas is swimming in receiver depth if Jones decides to trade Pickens, and the Cowboys could further bolster their struggling defense with a deal of the star wideout.
“The Cowboys poured draft capital into the broken defense, as expected,” La Canfora wrote. “The onus shouldn’t be there to have to score 40 points a game to win.”
Insider Shares Likelihood of Cowboys Trading WR George Pickens