Former NFL executive defends Cowboys' trade for George Pickens

Some within the football community have criticized the Dallas Cowboys for not selecting a wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft and instead acquiring George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers while in the final year of his rookie contract.

For a piece published by Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, former NFL executive and current analyst Andrew Brandt explained why he is a fan of Dallas taking a flier on Pickens ahead of the upcoming season. 

"By getting past the draft without trading a pick in 2025, the Cowboys 'stole' a round," Brandt said. "A third-round pick in ’26 is roughly equivalent in value to a fourth-round pick in ’25, if that. Thus, the Cowboys acquired Pickens, a highly talented receiver, essentially for a fourth-rounder, if that."

Specifically, Dallas sent Pittsburgh a 2026 third-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round choice for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-rounder. The Cowboys needed an inexpensive target to play alongside No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb, and the Steelers were seemingly eager to get rid of Pickens after he gave head coach Mike Tomlin plenty of headaches over the past couple of seasons. 

As ESPN's Todd Archer noted, Pickens said in his introductory Cowboys conference call that he was "not really thinking about contract talks" with his new employer. Clarence Hill of All City DLLS previously reported that Pickens was not looking to sign a contract extension before the 2025 season. 

"By not negotiating a new contract," Brandt added, "the Cowboys have Pickens in the last year of his very reasonable rookie contract, another strong value for the team. Yes, they may be required to 'pay up' next year, but that is better than doing so now without Pickens having to prove himself to the team for a year. I like this for the Cowboys. It’s low risk, potentially high reward."

Ted Nguyen and Saad Yousuf of The Athletic mentioned that Pickens could become "the perfect complement to" Lamb and allow quarterback Dak Prescott to "test the deep ball more than he has perhaps at any point in his career." It remains to be seen if Pickens will be more trouble than he's worth with Dallas, but such conversations can be punted down the road until regular-season play begins in September.