Will Cowboys Trade George Pickens? Why Dallas WR is Inactive Ahead of Deadline

The Dallas Cowboys won't have wide receiver George Pickens for the Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Upon dropping their list of inactives before kickoff on Sunday, it was revealed that Pickens has been ruled out, which marks the first time he is missing a game this season, and the first time Pickens hasn't suited up for a game with the Cowboys.

Pickens' inactive status has raised some eyebrows with there being just a few days to go before the trade deadline.

Here's what we know.

Why is George Pickens inactive?

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) celebrates during the game between the Cardinals and the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of course, we can't say for sure, but we don't think this is a sign that Pickens is getting traded.

After all, Pickens was on the injury report during the week, and he has been on the injury report for multiple weeks now.

Pickens first appeared with a shoulder injury in Week 7, then he had shoulder and hamstring issues in Week 8, and Pickens was listed with just a hamstring issue in Week 9 before drawing a questionable tag and ultimately being inactive on Sunday.

The Cowboys never seemed confident Pickens would play.

Not only did head coach Brian Schottenheimer only say he was "hopeful" Pickens would play, but the Cowboys also elevated a wide receiver from the practice squad on Saturday, which we believed was a hint Pickens wouldn't go.

So, there's more than enough reasons to believe this is indeed injury-related rather than a sign of an impending trade.

Will Cowboys trade George Pickens?

Reports have also suggested the Cowboys have no interest in trading Pickens at the deadline.

On Friday, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that is the case.

"The fifth-year pass-catcher and second-year Cowboy is playing this season on the franchise tag after the team elected not to discuss a long-term contract with him in the offseason. Despite trade rhetoric around the time of that decision being announced, the Cowboys never engaged in trying to send him away. Seven months later, that strategy remains the same ahead of the deadline, according to multiple sources," Harris said.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has also reported that there is nothing happening in terms of a potential Pickens deal.

"As of right now there's nothing there," Rapoport said.

George Pickens' uncertain future

Once the Tuesday deadline passes, the Cowboys will officially be headed toward another offseason of uncertainty with Pickens.

The veteran wideout is once again slated to be a free agent, but the Cowboys have the option of either extending him, franchise-tagging him or letting him walk in free agency.

We tend to believe the Cowboys won't extend Pickens because they already have a big wide receiver contract on the books and signing Pickens will make it very difficult to improve the roster elsewhere.

Even Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones has said it would be tough to have two big receiver contracts, with the other being CeeDee Lamb, of course.

"The situation we have with George Pickens going alongside CeeDee.. I don't know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market," Jones said. "So, yeah. That's going to be a real difficult situation as we move forward. We've managed to figure out how we can do it for this year."

Another franchise tag is possible, but it remains to be seen if Pickens will be amenable to that again. If not, a holdout could occur. Dallas also has the option to tag and trade Pickens.

Letting Pickens walk in free agency could net the Cowboys a third-round compensatory pick, so that's a realistic option for Dallas.

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