Ryan Kang/Getty Images

There's Speculation The Cowboys Could Trade WR CeeDee Lamb

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Nov 18, 2025 1:28 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys were quick to part ways with Micah Parsons despite his superb production when he ran afoul of team owner Jerry Jones. With Cowboys star wideout CeeDee Lamb struggling, Jones might be tempted to move Lamb even faster.

Despite recording five receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in last night's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, wide receiver George Pickens was the real hero of the receiving corps on Monday, grabbing nine receptions for 144 yards and a TD of his own. After the game, Jones gushed over Pickens' production:

“I’ve never seen a performance like that,” Jones said. “It was poetic the way that he was making those moves out there. It was like he was in an opera or something out there. A ballet.”

In fact, Pickens has seemingly run laps around Lamb in terms of production, boasting more receptions, yards, yards per game and touchdowns amid Dallas' 4-5-1 start.

Nov 12, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Smith (73) after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Pickens or Lamb?

The Cowboys will have to find a way to pay Pickens in the offseason though. ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio believes that it might force Jones to do what he did with Amari Cooper just a few years ago: Trade him to make cap space for the wide receiver he wants to extend.

"There’s another wrinkle to consider, one for which the Cowboys have some precedent. After the Cowboys traded a first-round pick to the Raiders for receiver Amari Cooper during the 2018 season, they let Cooper finish his rookie contract in 2019 before signing him to a five-year, $100 million deal. And, after paying out a total of $40 million in 2020 and 2021, they traded him to make way for Lamb," Florio wrote.

"And so the overall collection of outcomes has to include the possibility of eventually trading Lamb and keeping Pickens.

"It sounds crazy on the surface, especially in the short term. A pre-June 1 trade would come with a total cap charge of $42.8 million, while also eliminating his $38.6 million cap number for next season. The more likely approach will be to exercise the automatic restructure option, knocking Lamb’s cap number down by $18 million or so and kicking the rest of it into future years."

Florio noted that even if the Cowboys find a way to keep both Lamb and Pickens under contract for 2026, at some point in 2027 or 2028 they may be forced to choose again.

But that's an issue for another day in another year altogether.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: