Wide receiver George Pickens' future with the Dallas Cowboys beyond the 2026 season remains a talking point around the franchise, as the team hasn't extended him for a long-term extension. Now, a trade proposal has reignited the trade speculation of the wideout.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggested a wild three-team deal involving the Cowboys, the Tennessee Titans, and the Las Vegas Raiders, where the Titans receive Pickens and the Cowboys end up with edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

“In this deal, the Cowboys would cough up first- and fifth-round picks, along with wide receiver George Pickens," Knox wrote on June 24. "So, Dallas would flip Pickens to the Titans, who would pair him with Wan'Dale Robinson and rookie Carnell Tate to give second-year quarterback Cam Ward a strong long-term receiving trio."

According to Knox, the Cowboys would give up their 2027 first-round pick and fifth-round pick, along with the Pro Bowler, and receive edge rusher Maxx Crosby from the Raiders and WR Calvin Ridley from the Titans in exchange.

The Titans would receive Pickens and give up their WR Elic Ayomanor and a 2027 second-round pick to the Raiders in this hypothetical three-team trade that could turn the NFL upside down.

"Pickens had a spectacular 2025 campaign in Dallas, but is now set to play on the franchise tag and isn't expected to receive an extension from the Cowboys," Knox wrote in the Bleacher Report article.

Pickens had a breakthrough campaign with the Cowboys in 2025, where he posted 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl nod.

Pickens is set to play under a franchise tag ($27.3M)for the 2026 season. While league rules technically allow for contract extensions before the July 15 deadline, Cowboys executives have been adamant that they will not engage in further negotiations.

Knox projects that the Titans could afford to trade for Pickens and sign him to a long-term deal, as they boast the second-most cap space in the league ($56.5M), according to Spotrac.

Though the Cowboys have been clear on not trading Pickens, this deal could prove otherwise as the Cowboys end up with the five-time Pro Bowler, Maxx Crosby, whom they have tried to pursue before in March 2026.

Cowboys' Maxx Crosby dream revived in a blockbuster trade scenario

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that the Raiders wouldn't retain Crosby till his contract expires after 2029. Because of that, there is also a possibility of him being traded before the 2026 season.

"According to ESPN's Ryan McFadden, the Dallas Cowboys made three separate offers for Crosby, though none were enough to elicit action from the Raiders. In this hypothetical trade, Dallas makes another run at Crosby by involving the Tennessee Titans," Knox wrote in the same Bleacher Report article.

The Baltimore Ravens previously offered two first-round picks to secure Crosby, and the Raiders may stick with a similar asking price for the standout edge rusher.

However, that scenario would be unlikely, as the Cowboys have already given up the better of the two 2027 first-round picks while trading for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.

Knox believes that moving Pickens in a blockbuster deal would give the Cowboys a chance to finally land Crosby, strengthening their pass rush with one of the league's elite edge rushers.

Would you trade a dominant young receiver like George Pickens if it meant finally landing an elite pass rusher like Maxx Crosby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore