The George Pickens trade initially ruffled some feathers among Dallas Cowboys fans, many of whom pointed to his on-field behavior as a reason the front office may have made a mistake.
This isn’t the same Pickens we saw a season ago in Pittsburgh. He looks more settled and mature in his first season with the Cowboys, and he’s playing some of the best football of his career, which just so happens to be coming in the final year of his rookie contract
Cowboys legend and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman joined 1310 The Ticket in Dallas and was asked what the Cowboys should do with Pickens after the 2025 season. While the franchise tag remains an option, Aikman made a suggestion that will make Cowboys fans uneasy.
Troy Aikman says Cowboys may sacrifice George Pickens to use their money on defense
"If (the Cowboys') approach is, yeah, but we didn't make the playoffs, if in fact that's what happens, do you continue to pay wide receivers that amount of money when you have some of the glaring holes that you have on the defensive side of the ball?"Troy Aikman
CeeDee Lamb is making $34 million per year on his four-year, $136 million extension. By comparison, Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin averages $29 million annually on his three-year, $97 million deal, which ranks 10th among wide receivers, per Over The Cap.
Based on what we’ve seen this season, Pickens is more than qualified to earn a contract in that range. But letting him walk to reallocate money toward fixing an atrocious defense would be a nightmare, and it wouldn’t make much sense. A more realistic obstacle to a Pickens extension could be the need to prioritize contracts for the core of the Cowboys’ front seven.
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Despite concerns about making a $64 million commitment on one position, Jerry Jones has expressed that he can keep Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Osa Odighizuwa. Whether or not this affects the future of Pickens remains to be seen, but those three DTs alone have the fourth, fifth, and sixth-largest cap hits in 2026 for the team.
Pickens has already proven his spot on the team, and not only is there no need to franchise tag him, but the Joneses must find a way to work with him and fix their defense at the same time. There shouldn't be any excuse for why the Cowboys can't sign Pickens and find some much-needed defensive talent in the draft at the same time.
Pickens has racked up 1,212 receiving yards, which ranked third in the NFL entering Week 16. He has surpassed his best numbers with the Steelers, showing almost every week that he deserves to be one of the game's highest-paid receivers.
Aikman raised a very fair question. It might not seem like smart roster building to pay another receiver $30 million per year when you have arguably the NFL's worst defense. But signing Pickens is the best way to maximize the remainder of Dak Prescott's prime.
That should be the primary objective of this front office, right alongside improving the defense and finding a capable defensive coordinator.