Cowboys Tripling Down On George Pickens Trade Plans, OTA Expectations

Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones shared the latest on star wide receiver George Pickens, and his expectations for mandatory OTAs.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens smiles after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys received some great news following the 2026 NFL Draft when breakout star wide receiver George Pickens officially inked his franchise tag.

Pickens is now guaranteed $27.3 million for the upcoming season, there have been rumblings about Dallas potentially exploring a trade. If you take the team at face value, however, that is not in their plans.

Dallas has stated several times that Pickens will not be traded and the team expects him to play on the tag this season. And on Tuesday, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones tripled-down on the team's stance when speaking to Adam Schein on Mad Dog Sports Radio.

Not only did Jones once again state that the team has no intentions to trade Pickens, but he also expects Pickens to show up for mandatory OTAs in June.

Stephen Jones Triples Down On George Pickens Plans

"There is zero interest in a trade for George Pickens."#Cowboys Co-Owner Stephen Jones tells @AdamSchein the team doesn't want to trade away its star receiver and hopes he will be at mandatory OTAs ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/vEvA6mnY0r

— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) May 5, 2026

No matter how many times Jones has been asked about the Cowboys' plans for Pickens and whether the team would consider a trader, he has been firm in his stance that Pickens will not be moved this season.

"Haven't been told that [Pickens will report to mandatory OTAs]. Certainly, that's what we expect. I mean, anytime a player signs a contract and the expectations, as we hold for all of our players," Jones said. "I know he's working with Dak and those type of things. But at the end of the day, you know, we'll see how this thing plays out.

"I really do think George has, believe it or not, a chance to have just as good a year, if not better. And, you know, obviously, the expectations are he'll be in the building working alongside his teammates and working, you know, to create an identity for this football team to have success... There's zero interest in a trade for George Pickens. Zero. He's going to be a cowboy this year. Zero interest.

Let's hope that everything works out the way that the Cowboys are planning for, because it does, the team is set up for a bounce-back year in 2026 with all 11 starters returning on offense and a revamped defense.

The last thing the team needs this offseason is another superstar contract debacle like the situation we saw with Micah Parsons last season one week before the regular season.

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