Cowboys' Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb slam George Pickens rumors as trade deadline nears

Recent whispers have suggested that Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones should and even could make wide receiver George Pickens available to other teams before the NFL trade deadline arrives at 4:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 10 if the 3-5 Cowboys lose to the 2-6 Indianapolis Colts this coming Sunday. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made it clear he doesn't want Pickens to go anywhere. 

George Pickens has been "a great teammate" despite whispers about "frustration"

"People say a lot of things I don't believe, so I'm not listening to that one, either," Prescott said about the Pickens-related trade rumors, per Garrett Podell of CBS Sports. 

Jones raised some eyebrows when he said earlier this week that Pickens "needs the ball coming his way more" during games. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is among those who have suggested that a feeling of "frustration" related to his individual numbers could cause Pickens to ask for a trade either before or after the Colts game wraps up. 

Over the Cowboys' first eight games of the season, Pickens recorded 39 receptions for 533 yards and two touchdowns. 

"George is a great teammate," Prescott said in reference to Pickens' contributions. "And I say that in the sense of, he's gonna do whatever is asked. He's going to do whatever is called. If it's to go block, if it's to just go run a guy off, he's going to do that. He believes in just doing the right thing, and the ball will come his way at times."  

George Pickens will be ready "when his time comes"

Pickens is set to reach free agency in March 2027 after the Cowboys retained his rights for 2026 via the franchise tag. A recent report revealed that Pickens "remains content in Dallas and doesn't want to be moved." That said, it's unclear if Jones could realistically keep Pickens, fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on the roster beyond this season. 

Porter is in the final season of his existing contract, while Lamb signed a four-year, $136M deal in August 2024.

"I don't know why that's a thing," Lamb said Thursday about the Pickens trade rumors. 

"Just when his time comes, I know that he is going to be ready," Lamb added about his teammate. "That's the only conversation that we have. When that moment comes, you can't really go off of what just happened because if that's the case, you're going to drive yourself into a ditch, to be honest. You have to move on, be grown about the situation, come to practice ready to work again, and have that same mentality that you had before the game. Remember how you felt. Use that as fuel."

Whispers about Dallas possibly trading Pickens will likely quiet down if the club earns a win at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. However, Jones presumably could sell some pieces off if the Cowboys suffer an upset loss and fall to 3-6.