If the Cowboys Make This George Pickens Trade, Fantasy Football Managers Will Sob
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George Pickens is at a standstill with the Dallas Cowboys, having not yet signed his franchise tag. Pickens is adamant that he gets paid what he deserves after his 1,400-yard, 9-touchdown season. Yet, the Cowboys want no one to offer him that deal and instead want no one. Pickens has been tagged. Amid the dispute, trade rumors linger, and they might find a deal that gets inked in just time. One possible destination we will explore is Pickens' home to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Fantasy Football Impact
Pickens surely cannot meet his upside that was found in Dallas. The Cowboys are the pass-friendliest team in the NFL, with one of the best pure passers — Dak Prescott. Pickens finished 2025 as the WR5 in all of fantasy football. He is a stunning talent, but can he actually retain that upside with a new team?
The Raiders have Klint Kubiak as their head coach. He is widely regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. As the team expects to draft Fernando Mendoza, the offense will be fun to watch. Nonetheless, they are not the Cowboys, or at least, not yet.
Pickens would become the clear-cut WR1, with a massive target share. Outside of Brock Bowers, the Raiders have nothing good in their passing game. Pickens and Bowers both may exceed 30% target shares, obviously if Pickens came to town.
The caveat is that of volume. The Raiders could run many pass scripts, but Mendoza should not have the 250+ yards-per-game ability that Prescott has in Dallas. Mendoza will likely average 180-210 yards per game. That makes Pickens a just-over-1,000-yard receiver with varying touchdown amounts to be projected. He would be a borderline WR1 in fantasy football, but not the WR5 overall.
Mock Trade Details
Raiders Get:
- WR, George Pickens
Cowboys Get:
- 2027 1st Round Pick
- 2028 2nd Round Pick
- 2027 5th Round Pick
Why the Raiders Accept the Trade
It is time for the Raiders to become relevant again. They cannot draft Mendoza and keep his weapons and Bowers, and then Tyler Lockett. They must add a true WR1, and Pickens can become it. The team will have to trade-and-sign Pickens to a massive dealtrade and sign, but why not? You are a young, new team with money to spend. Pickens is a premier NFL wide receiver, and he will sell your team a lot of merchandise. Mark Davis knows a thing or two about marketing...
Kubiak will aim to make Pickens his new Jaxon-Smith Njigba. It is a different-styled player, but another one with a different-styled high-volume upside.
Why the Cowboys Accept the Trade
Jerry Jones never wants to pay his players. It is a fact that has been an issue for a while. This issue remains with Pickens. He has been franchise-tagged, which provides a nice payday yet, but he is below long-term expectations. Pickens can become one of the top-5, highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, and he waits until that happens. Until then, Pickens holds out.
The Cowboys are willing to trade Pickens, and while no team has apparently come calling, they will. The value may dip enough to pique interest, especially post-NFL draft. The Cowboys will lose a great weapon, but they will also return a haul of 1st- and 2nd-round picks, plus save money.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.