Blogging The Boys
It is still incredible to remember that George Pickens is a Cowboy.
When the Dallas Cowboys traded for George Pickens, it was the splashiest offseason move they’ve made since 2018 when they gave up a first-round draft pick for another wide receiver, Amari Cooper. Such a move has been highly praised for the most part. Pickens has put up over 800 yards in each of his first three seasons in the league, including eclipsing 1,100 yards the year before last. He’s a good football player.
While the majority feel the Cowboys made a good trade, there is a chance this doesn’t work out. There’s no secret that things soured in Pittsburgh, which led to them shipping him off. His overall attitude, effort, and occasional on-field antics created enough of a concern for head coach Mike Tomlin that he was deemed expendable. And to Tomlin’s credit, he’s pretty good about jumping ship before it hits the iceberg, as there is a good list of former Steelers’ receivers who were productive while they were there, only to sink to the bottom when venturing off to their new team.
As much of a headache he can be, Pickens isn’t facing any looming suspension for violating anything, nor has he ever been suspended. There is a long list of fines (10 total) he’s been hit with for doing stupid stuff, ranging from an obscene gesture to taunting. And he loves grabbing people’s facemasks (three separate penalties), which is sort of weird considering he plays offense. Suffice it to say, we all know this move comes with some risk.
But there is also a huge side of this coin where things work out quite nicely. With all his supposed drama, he’s still a huge contributor. The Cowboys haven’t had a WR2 this talented since Cooper’s last season with the team. That year, the offense finished no. 1 in the league in both points scored and yards gained. They were humming.
How well Pickens performs will go a long way on whether this ends up being a good trade for the Cowboys; however, there’s another part of this as well that gets a lot of attention. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract, so he will hit the open free agent market next offseason. Unless the Cowboys have something up their sleeve, this trade could end up being a one-year rental. It’s a tight battle, but the majority of fans (52%) believe he’ll be one-and-done in Dallas. If that happens, does that change your perception of the trade?
If you’re against the trade, your general feeling is, let’s wish for the best, and hopefully, he gives the team some production on the field and possibly earns them a compensatory pick in 2026. In that camp, a Pickens extension is the last thing on your mind. If you’re opposed to the trade, there would be no logical reason to double down by making a larger financial commitment.
For those who love the trade, locking him...
