Could the Cowboys Shock the NFL With a Draft-Day Trade?

April 10, 2026
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens celebrates during 2025 game.

George Pickens had a career year in his first season with Dallas, with 93 catches, 1,429 yards, nine touchdowns, his first Pro Bowl, and 15.4 yards per reception. 

He made the Cowboys' offense one of the most dangerous in football alongside CeeDee Lamb and gave Dak Prescott a strong WR1 threat when Lamb went down with a high ankle sprain. 

And yet the Cowboys have placed him on the franchise tag at $27.3 million for 2026 with zero long-term extension talks on the table. Per ESPN's Todd Archer, the Cowboys have not had discussions with Pickens about a new deal. 

Ian Rapoport on NFL GameDay Morning said he doesn't envision Pickens reporting to training camp "unless there is a long-term deal," and suggested there may be another team ready to offer premium draft compensation and sign Pickens long-term themselves. 

Rapoport even noted the Cowboys have shown a willingness to trade star players for draft capital (pointing to the Micah Parsons deal with Green Bay), and that Parsons and Pickens share the same agent in David Mulugheta. 

Dallas has until July 15 to reach an extension. After that, they're looking at either a holdout or a trade.

What a Trade Would Actually Look Like

Blogging the Boys used the recent Jaylen Waddle deal (a first and third to Denver) as a trade value floor for Pickens, putting his baseline around 750 points on the trade value chart, with the 2022 AJ Brown trade (picks 18 and 101) as the ceiling. 

Rapoport has projected a second-round pick as a realistic return, which would fill a real need for Dallas since they currently hold no second-round selection. The Jets have come up repeatedly as an interested party, and ESPN's Rich Cimini noted GM Darren Mougey's history of aggressive trading and New York's thin WR depth behind Garrett Wilson, plus the need to arm a young quarterback coming in the next draft cycle. 

The Patriots, Browns and Chiefs have also been floated. Meanwhile, another mock draft scenario at The Landry Hat envisions Dallas taking Carnell Tate at pick 12, then trading Pickens to the Patriots for additional picks and using one on CB Colton Hood.

Does Dallas Actually Move On?

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton has predicted an extension is ultimately more likely than a trade, noting Dallas has $14.4 million in cap space and could restructure Quinnen Williams' deal to clear another $14.6 million. 

A Pickens extension is being projected at four years between $101 and $124 million. The Cowboys also aren't expected to use a first-round pick on a WR replacement, given their defensive needs and Ryan Flournoy's emergence as a capable WR3. 

If Pickens refuses to show up without a long-term deal and the Cowboys won't negotiate under tag, this gets messy fast, and the draft is April 23rd.

Photo Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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