On Tuesday, ESPN’s Benjamin Solak reported that he could see a Cowboys midseason trade of All-Pro George Pickens being possible; Solak mentioned some effort/focus concerns and Dallas’s financial ability to pay both Pickens and newly acquired CB Joey Porter Jr.
He went on to name the Los Angeles Rams, who just lost Davante Adams for an extended period due to injury, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who seem to always need wide receiver help.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/2112287666825986213https://twitter.com/NFL/status/2112287666825986213
Here, I’ll go over what a midseason Pickens trade might look like for Dallas, and how they’d get to the point of even considering moving their elite WR2.
The Continued George Pickens Saga: How Do We Arrive at a Trade?
(Pickens is currently playing under the one-year franchise tag, priced at $27.3M)
Because of the presence of CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys’ lack of overall success despite Pickens’ dominance in 2025, there have been rumors about the team flipping his value in a trade for months now.
They’ve been reluctant so far, but the clock is ticking before Pickens will ultimately demand a solution, not a band-aid, contractually.
I have remained pessimistic that they’d actually consider paying him long-term. I just don’t see them committing that kind of money to two wide receivers, and I wouldn’t blame them for having that mindset — we’ve seen the Bengals struggle to improve elsewhere with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins making bank.
Focusing specifically on this season, though, the possibility of a trade hinges solely on their ability to compete in 2026. I have no doubt they’d consider a move this offseason, but to do so during the year would mean they don’t have a realistic path to postseason play.
The trade deadline comes right after Week 9, which is, somehow, just three weeks away, and Dallas has Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Arizona lined up as their opponents.
WK1: @ NYG (SNF)
WK2: WAS
WK3: BAL (Brazil)
WK4: @ HOU
WK5: TB (TNF)
WK6: @ GB (SNF)
WK7: @ PHI (MNF)
WK8: ARI
WK9 @ IND
WK10: SF
WK11: TEN
WK12: PHI (Thanksgiving)
WK13: @ SEA
WK14: BYE
WK15: @ LAR
WK16: JAX (SNF)
WK17: NYG
WK18: @ WAS
MORE ⬇️
Those are three games they should win, without a doubt, but I wouldn’t put it past them to lose all three with how they’re currently playing. If they do that, we’re talking about a 2-7 record. That’s basically impossible to overcome with Dallas’s hard schedule late in the year.
I think it’s then, and only then, that they’d actually consider a midseason move of Pickens; we’re not at the hardest part yet, either.
Then comes making a price, shopping around, finding a good suitor with interest, and them being willing to pay the price in question. The cost, based on recent precedent, likely lands somewhere between a 1st/2nd round draft pick, with an extra mid/late-round selection thrown in as well.
That’s going to take a lot to actually get done, so while it is possible, I’m generally against Solak’s take here: the George Pickens saga will likely head into the 2027 offseason.
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