New Cowboys Rumors on George Pickens Trade Stance, Why WR Won't Get Long-Term Contract

The Dallas Cowboys aren't planning on trading wide receiver George Pickens despite the lack of a long-term contract agreement, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"The next question is, 'Would the Cowboys be willing to trade Pickens?' In the event they take a receiver or something else," Rapoport reported Wednesday (0:20 mark). "My understanding is they do not want to trade Pickens and do not believe that is in their future. They simply would like to see more."

"They simply would like to see a bigger sample size, so George Pickens expected to play on the tag next year," he added.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters earlier on Wednesday that Pickens will play under the franchise tag for the 2026 season, as negotiations on a long-term deal won't take place.

Jones was still excited about Pickens' 2026 outlook, though.

"We're so fired up to have George on this football team," Jones said, per Patrik Walker of the team's official website. "He's been here for a year, and we gave up a third-round pick for him and he's made tremendous progress in the year he's been here. He'll be the first to tell you this is a great situation for him — playing with CeeDee [Lamb] and Dak, and in Schottenheimer's offense. He loves Coach Schottenheimer and what he brings to the table. But this is the conscious decision we've made."

On Feb. 27, the Cowboys placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Pickens. He has yet to sign the tag, though.

If Pickens ends up signing it, he'll earn $27.3 million in 2026 before hitting free agency in 2027.

The 25-year-old spent the first three seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers before the Cowboys acquired him in a May 2025 trade.

Pickens exceeded expectations during his first year in Dallas, recording a career-high 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. His average of 15.4 yards per reception ranked No. 3 among all players with at least 90 targets.

While a long-term contract agreement between Pickens and the Cowboys may not be in the near future, a trade also doesn't seem to be a strong possibility.