George Pickens’ situation was temporarily resolved with a franchise tag, but until a long-term deal was signed, the fans were always going to be anxious. Now, a recent Broncos deal has shed light on what the franchise could receive for the wide receiver.

The Jaylen Waddle trade deal has impacted Picken's potential deal by revealing what team owner Jerry Jones can expect for Pickens as the Miami Dolphins received precious draft capital in first-, third-, and fourth-round picks.  

“Tuesday provided some overall context for the proverbial price for George Pickens should the Dallas Cowboys be interested in trading him,” RJ Ochoa of Blogging the Boys wrote. “The first-round pick that Miami is receiving is 30th overall, and that is clearly the main variable involved with the trade.”

While the Cowboys already possess two first-round draft picks (No. 12 and 20) thanks to last year's Micah Parsons trade, their draft capital could further increase thanks to this precedent.

“If you are a Cowboys fan interested in trading George Pickens, who the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on this offseason, then it stands to reason that you would want a first-rounder involved,” Ohcoa added. 

After years of flashes, George Pickens finally put it all together in Dallas. His 1,429 receiving yards ranked third in the league, underlining a true breakout campaign.

In 2025, he finished with nine touchdowns and 93 receptions, a significant jump from his previous peak of 63 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Writing on the event further, Bret Bloomquist of the El Paso Times has talked about the trade implications.

“By all accounts, there have been no serious talks between the Dallas Cowboys and receiver George Pickens about a long-term deal since Dallas put a franchise tag on him last month,” Bret said.

He emphasized that due to the Waddle deal, Pickens would be a better trade fit for the New England Patriots.

For now, though, there has been no reported approach by either the Patriots or talks with Dallas. That being said, it is fairly common for franchise-tagged talks to continue into the summer before any deal is agreed upon.

Why Holding Onto George Pickens Could Be the Right Call for Dallas

With deals like Jaylen Waddle pushing receiver value higher than expected, moving George Pickens now could turn into a short-term win but a long-term miss. 

“This is not meant to be a dig at Waddle. He’s a former No. 6 overall pick who’s averaged 81 catches for 1,098 yards and six touchdowns across six seasons,” Jerry Trotta of Landry Hat wrote.

Clearly, some believe that the price for Waddle may have been a little too high, but given the dearth of receiving options, this creates pressure to sell and raises the risk of giving up a player who can still impact the offense at a lower cost than what the market now demands.

“That production is nothing to sneeze at, but nobody expected him to fetch a first-round pick,” Trotta added.  “Sure, it’s No. 30 overall, but a first is a first, and the Dolphins even squeezed a third-rounder out of Denver while swapping fourths,” Jerry continues. 

From a football standpoint, Dallas has more to gain by keeping Pickens than by forcing a deal. He brings a skill set that complements the offense without requiring a system overhaul. Alongside CeeDee Lamb, their offense could be among the best in 2026.

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Written by

Kunwar Yashaswee Chhaunker

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote