It's no secret that the Dallas Cowboys have their fair share of elite tradeable assets, but the franchise cornerstone they're most likely to deal is probably George Pickens. But in a surprising twist of fate, of the many cornerstones the Cowboys currently have, Pickens could net the smallest return in a trade.
When Dallas placed the franchise tag on the 25-year-old earlier this offseason, it sparked trade talks that ultimately amounted to nothing. And the reason for that is because there's a divide in what Jerry Jones sees Pickens' trade value as in comparison to where the rest of the league seemingly does.
And now we know why. ESPN's Bill Barnwell went over trade values across the NFL and eventually settled on 155 players being worth a first-round pick or more. And of those 155, seven of them are on the Cowboys. But Pickens wasn't one of them, which could be for a multitude of different reasons.
"Pickens might already be on a different team if somebody was willing to deal a first-round pick for the franchised wideout, who will be a free agent after the season," Barnwell wrote.
Dallas Cowboys could have tough time finding adequate George Pickens trade
It's an interesting paradox. Barnwell believes Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith, Quinnen Williams, and Tyler Booker would net Dallas a first-round pick and more in return, and that Malachi Lawrence and Caleb Downs would net them a first-rounder, but said that Pickens missed the mark.
As for the Cowboys, this isn't ideal. Pickens is considered one of the better wide receivers in football, but every team would hesitate to deal a first-round pick for him. And if the Cowboys aren't going to pay him, they'll try to trade him, but there's no incentive to do so for anything but a 1.
And if teams aren't willing to trade premier draft capital for him, it bleeds into the extension concerns in a way. After a career year in 2025, the 2022 second-round pick is expected to be in the $40 million a year ballpark on his next contract, but there's been hesitance about extending him across the NFL.
In Pickens' case, some obvious non-football concerns have teams a bit scared off. His character and his mindset have come into question despite his obvious talent, and no team would deal a first-round pick for him until we see him grow up a bit, let alone pay him market-altering money.
The only reason there has been any sort of minor settlement on the Pickens front is that the Cowboys made it clear they want to wait to extend him until after the season. But if the season goes awry and they field offers at the trade deadline, it'd be unlikely they get a first-round pick in return.
The fact of the matter is that, as Barnwell said, if anyone wanted to trade a first-round pick for George Pickens, he could've been traded by now. It proves that Dallas has a great young core in tow, but it's also seen some interesting trade questions resurface.
Add us as a preferred source on Google