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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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George Pickens' name had been floated in trade rumors for weeks.
He's coming off a career year with the Dallas Cowboys, posting 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns on 93 receptions in 2025, averaging 15.4 yards per catch. But his numbers have dropped a bit this season, with just 533 yards and two touchdowns on 39 catches through eight games, and he's on an expiring contract after the Cowboys franchise tagged him to a one-year, $27.3 million deal in July. Pickens had been pushing for a long-term extension, but Dallas refused, and now he's set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Yet, surprisingly, not only did the Cowboys not trade Pickens before Tuesday's deadline, but they didn't even receive any calls for the All-Pro wideout, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
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"The Cowboys did not receive any trade calls on receiver George Pickens, who is happy in Dallas and didn't want to be traded," Fowler wrote. "Teams in the receiver market weren't shopping in the high-end aisle, either, so the idea of a Pickens trade was a nonstarter. Plus, Dallas had no plans to deal him."
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones insisted before the deadline that they had no intentions of trading Pickens, which they shouldn't if they see themselves as playoff contenders. He's still one of the best wide receivers in the league, and if they think they can still sign him to an extension in 2027, there'd be no reason to trade him in the middle of a playoff push.
His numbers may have declined, but that has nothing to do with talent. His teammate CeeDee Lamb is also eating up a lot of targets as he's in the middle of a career year, with 70 catches on a league-leading 109 targets for 904 yards and seven touchdowns. With Lamb, Pickens, Dak Prescott, and Javonte Williams in place, this is one of the deadliest offenses in the NFL. If the defense can become even average over the back half of the season, Dallas can still clinch the NFC East title.
Still, it is somewhat surprising that no contenders even tried to pry Pickens away from Jones, who's never shy about making trades if he thinks it can set the team up for future success. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers were both in the market for a wide receiver, and Pickens could have elevated either one of those offenses drastically.
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