The Dallas Cowboys used the franchise tag on George Pickens following his breakout season, and recent comments by CEO Stephen Jones suggest the team might be trying to trade him. After spending his first three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cowboys acquired the wide receiver in exchange for a third-round pick. This proved to be a fantastic investment, as Pickens finished his first season in Dallas with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, all career-bests.
Despite this dominant season, the Cowboys seem unwilling to give him a long-term extension, and George Pickens is apparently not drawing much interest on the trade market. Jones recently told ESPN’s Todd Archer that the Cowboys have “had no one call with interest in George Pickens.” This is surprising, as Pickens is a fantastic player at a premium position, and teams will put up with just about any off-field issue if the on-field play is good enough. Perhaps this is Jones’ way of telling the league the wide receiver is available, and one of the following three teams could pick up the phone.
Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones Speaks on George Pickens Trade
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are the clear frontrunners in the A.J. Brown trade race, but they could pivot to George Pickens if he’s available. While Pickens comes with his own off-field risks, he’s younger than Brown and has a lot more left in his tank. While the Patriots made the Super Bowl last year, they must add some offensive firepower if they want to duplicate that success against a significantly harder schedule. Drake Maye is still on his rookie contract for the next few years, so the team can afford to extend Pickens without impacting their ability to build a competitive roster around the wide receiver and their young quarterback.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have a great quarterback in Justin Herbert, but he can’t do it all on his own. Ladd McConkey lacks elite upside, and former first-round pick Quentin Johnston is better in a depth role. A George Pickens trade would give this offense a true WR1 on the outside and, combined with the offensive line improvements, should give the Chargers the offensive firepower needed to compete in one of the league’s toughest divisions.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have a new head coach for the first time in nearly two decades in former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. The change from John Harbaugh shows this team won’t be satisfied with anything less than a championship, but they might need to add more talent before they finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Zay Flowers is a fine WR1, but the rest of the depth chart leaves something to be desired. George Pickens is a proven commodity who would give the Ravens one of the league’s best receiving duos, and the trade would also bring him back to the AFC North. Pittsburgh is Baltimore’s biggest rival, and it would be a nice cherry on top to win a title with a player who entered the league with the Steelers.
