George Pickens
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.
There’s probably a good reason no NFL team has made the move to pay 2 wide receivers $30 million each. It’s the same reason you wouldn’t want to double up on that kind of money at any position.
The Dallas Cowboys know this better than anyone else after suffering through a miserable season in 2025 in which they paid 2 cornerbacks — Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland — on contracts worth a combined $187.8 million and got little in return.
It’s also why the Cowboys would be smart to try to trade NFL All-Pro George Pickens this offseason, when his value will never be higher, and make sure they get the kind of package back in return that still allows the offense to be among the NFL’s best and also sets them up for the future.
In this scenario, that means identifying a team that might be overly eager to get a player like Pickens back in return — a team just like the Atlanta Falcons.
In this scenario, the Cowboys could ask for Falcons wide receiver Drake London and their 2026 or 2027 2nd-round pick.
Why Deal Makes Sense for Dallas Cowboys
When the Cowboys traded with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Pickens before the 2025 season, they got back a player who was going to be supremely motivated because they were playing for a big-money contract the next year — a formula they could repeat with London in 2026.
London has been a great wide receiver on some terrible teams since the Falcons took him with the No. 8 overall pick out of USC in the 2022 NFL draft.
Over his first 4 seasons, London has 17-game averages of 85 receptions for 1,086 yards and 6 touchdowns, including career highs of 100 receptions, 1,271 yards, and 9 touchdowns in 2024.
In 2025, London had 68 receptions for 919 yards and 7 touchdowns despite missing a career-high 5 games due to injuries. The Falcons picked up the 5th year option on his contract, and he’s due $16.87 million in 2026.
George Pickens: Automatic Fan Favorite in Atlanta
Pro Football Focus called the Falcons and new head coach Kevin Stefanski the best place for Pickens to Land.
“The change of scenery to Dallas cemented Pickens as a bona fide elite name at the receiver position, and entering his age-25 season, he’ll have no shortage of suitors this free agency cycle,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote. “This past season, Pickens earned a career-best 87.2 PFF receiving grade, posting top-three marks in receiving yardage (1,429) and 15-plus-yard receptions of 15 (38). The 2026 season will prove to be an important crossroad for Michael Penix Jr.’s development as a passer … Pairing Pickens with Drake London would create one of the NFLs most electric receiver duos and set the young quarterback up for success.”
Pickens helps any team he’s on win games, but in Atlanta, he’s also a box-office draw.
Don’t forget that Pickens starred at the University of Georgia and was on the team that won the school’s first College Football Playoff national championship in 40 years following the 2021 season.
If the Cowboys want to trade Pickens, they’re not showing their hand.
“GP loves it here,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris on Monday. “We love GP. We have plans for GP to be here for a long time. We’ll let the business side of this thing play out and see where it goes.”