There go the Dallas Cowboys making things unnecessarily awkward with George Pickens
Dallas Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones was asked about potential trade interest for WR George Pickens ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. His answer was less than ideal.
Death, taxes, and the Dallas Cowboys making unnecessary comments in the media about players they are (or will soon be) negotiating with. On Tuesday, franchise co-owner Stephen Jones reminded us those three are everlasting certainties in life.
And it involved star wide receiver George Pickens, who is currently set to play under the franchise tag in 2026.
Stephen Jones claims Cowboys haven’t gotten trade calls for Pickens
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, Jones was asked if the Cowboys had received any calls with first-round pick offers for Pickens. Now listen, it was a good question from host Kevin Hageland, and a tough one to answer.
But instead of turning down the question (which would have been very valid given the circumstances), Jones’ response came off as intentional. Not only did he suggest the Cowboys aren’t getting first-round offers, but he indicated they have yet to field any interest on the wide receiver.
“You hate to get into things like that but no, we have had no one call with interest in George Pickens,” Jones said.
That sure sounds like someone trying to bring down the price tag of Pickens. You know, a message that Dallas is willing to pay him while others around the league aren’t even trying to trade for him.
Could I be overthinking it? Maybe.
But here’s why I don’t think so: Negotiating through the media isn’t a tactic unfamiliar to the Cowboys. And Jones had many potential outs for that question. Even if his claim is true (which some people are questioning, seemingly including NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo), he could have instead said he didn’t wish to comment on the Pickens situation, or that he wouldn’t offer that information regardless of having offers or not.
Why specifically mention that no one in the league is in on Pickens? Hopefully, the Cowboys keep the Pickens negotiations from getting personal like Micah Parsons’ did. Tuesday’s comments didn’t help, though.