The wide receiver market ballooned when the Seattle Seahawks signed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million extension. He is now the highest-paid receiver both in terms of annual average value ($42.15 million) and total guaranteed money ($120 million).
That is fantastic news for George Pickens. Not so much for the Dallas Cowboys, who haven't shown any urgency to extend Pickens after slapping him with the franchise tag. They seem comfortable with Pickens playing on the tag in 2026 and revisiting extension talks next offseason.
After fumbling Micah Parsons, other NFL fanbases are dreaming of the idea of trading for Pickens. The New England Patriots, who are hot after A.J. Brown, fall into that bucket.
Patriots expert Sara Marshall of Musket Fire smells blood in the water after Smith-Njigba signed his new contract.
Add us as a preferred source on Google"They (the Cowboys) might not be interested in that kind of deal, especially when you look at how willing they were to move on from Micah Parsons last season, who had become a franchise staple. And if that's the decision they make, the Patriots should pounce on the opportunity."
The Dallas Cowboys are not going to trade George Pickens
Just because the Cowboys may want Pickens to prove that 2025 wasn't an anomaly doesn't mean they don't want to keep him. They are going to watch Pickens' price surge in the meantime, but this isn't the same as Dallas waiting until the eleventh hour to extend Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Prescott and Lamb had already proven themselves, and it was obvious for a while that they'd command market-setting extensions.
Pickens was a worthy second-team All-Pro in his first year in Dallas, but it can’t be overstated that the Cowboys were the only team interested in trading for him last offseason, and he only went for a third-round pick. He tanked his value to get out of Pittsburgh. Even after his excellent 2025, it’s fair to wonder what Dallas could realistically get for him now.
That might not even matter. By placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pickens, the Cowboys all but guaranteed they won't be trading him.
Per NFL rules, if Pickens signs an offer sheet with another team, Dallas would have five days to match it. If they don’t, they’d receive compensation equivalent to two first-round picks. No team is giving up two firsts for Pickens.
The Jaylen Waddle trade, in which the Miami Dolphins acquired a 2026 first-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick, made the idea of trading Pickens appealing. However, that would mean weakening the unit that is the only reason Dallas doesn't have a top-five pick.
The problem with tagging Pickens is that it opened the door to trade speculation. Until he signs the tender, reports to training camp, and takes the field in Week 1, teams will continue to fantasize about trading for him.
But does that make it any less enjoyable to watch those fantasies unfold in real time? Absolutely not, because he’s not going anywhere.