The Dallas Cowboys often get criticized for not making major splashes in free agency, so they deserve credit for swinging a blockbuster trade for star wide receiver George Pickens.
A second-round pick of the Steelers in 2022, Pickens has racked up over 2,800 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in three seasons. He represents a significant upgrade in Dallas' wide receiver room and his play style is the perfect complement to CeeDee Lamb.
The ultimate question, though, is what the front office decides to do about Pickens' contract. He enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2025 and joins a long list of extension-eligible players in a talented Cowboys' locker room.
That list is headlined by none other than Micah Parsons. While Jerry Jones and Co. will eventually budge and extend Parsons, the Pickens trade makes for an interesting, and potentially awkward, dynamic in North Texas.
Cowboys' George Pickens trade could make things awkward for Micah Parsons
ESPN's Adam Schefter noted as the trade came together that Pickens' agent happens to be David Mulugheta, who also represents Parsons.
Soon-to-be Cowboys WR George Pickens is heading into the last year of his contract and will want a new deal. His agent happens to be David Mulugheta, whose name Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he did not know while talking about a new deal for Micah Parsons, another Mulugheta…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 7, 2025
Earlier this offseason, Jerry Jones claimed to not know who Mulugheta in reference to his negotiations with Parsons. That is nothing more than Jerry looking for a headline, but the 82-year-old owner actually did not include Mulugheta in the initial round of negotiations with Parsons, which teeters on violating NFLPA protocol.
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That part is true and forced Parsons to intervene and ask Jerry and Stephen Jones to connect with Mulugheta, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports.
Epstein added that Mulugheta had talks with the Cowboys' director of salary cap and player contracts, Adam Prasifka, but Jones' antics prompted the All-Pro pass rusher to state outright that a deal would not get done without the full involvement of his agent.
It goes without saying that Parsons is the priority over Pickens. Heck, you can rattle off several players on the extension pecking order before you get to Pickens. Cornerback DaRon Bland, left guard Tyler Smith and kicker Brandon Aubrey all come to mind.
At the end of the day, Parsons' knows his worth. He knows the Cowboys' defense would crash and burn without him terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. Whether it happens tomorrow or right before training camp, he'll sign on the dotted line for upwards of $40 million per year.
At the same time, Pickens' arrival adds an unexpected wrinkle to the Parsons' side of it all. For a negotiation process that has already oozed dysfunction, that is less than ideal.