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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The New York Jets were recently encouraged to pull off a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys to land All-Pro wide receiver George Pickens.

That would be a terrible idea.

Pickens, 24, will turn 25 before the start of the 2026 season. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. However, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter revealed that the Cowboys are “expected” to place the franchise tag on Pickens, which would prevent him from hitting the open market.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said the Cowboys could consider tagging-and-trading Pickens this offseason.

“Are the Cowboys going to get an offer for Pickens that would allow them to trade him? They have shown in the past a willingness to trade some of their best players for huge draft capital. They acquired him for a three. What if they franchise tagged him, he got a long-term deal that he wants, and they got a two back? Okay, that’s incredible value. I wonder if that is something that would be palatable for the Dallas Cowboys,” Rapoport explained on “The Insiders.”

The Jets Are in the Perfect Position to Pull This Move Off

Gang Green is in a position to make this move if they want.

The Jets have four picks inside the top-44 of the 2026 NFL draft. They have $83 million in cap space, which is the fourth most in the league, per Over The Cap. The Jets have a massive need at wide receiver opposite of Garrett Wilson.

So what’s the problem?

Pickens is a basket case.

“Pickens had several red flags. He was ejected for fighting in a game against Georgia Tech in 2019, and as a result was suspended for the first half of the SEC championship game against LSU. At least one NFL team took him off their draft board after being turned off by his behavior during his predraft visit, according to a high-ranking team executive,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor wrote in May of 2025.

“And yet, those incidents continued through his professional career. Outbursts at teammates and throwing his helmet on the sideline. Grabbing another player by his face mask and yanking him down after the game. Fighting with another player during an onside kick return. Fighting with a different player during a Hail Mary attempt,” Pryor added.

The Juice Isn’t Worth the Squeeze

Pickens seemed to be on his best behavior for the majority of the 2025 season with the Cowboys.

What was the difference between his time in Pittsburgh and his time in Dallas? Consistent quarterback play.

Dak Prescott is the best QB that Pickens has ever played with in the pros. That immediately translated to the best year of his professional career.

The former Georgia product set new career highs in every major category in 2025: receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429), and touchdowns (nine). He was named a second-team All-Pro WR for his efforts.

The problem is, we have no idea who the heck is going to play quarterback for the Jets in 2026.

The co-hosts of the “Badlands” podcast, Joe Caporoso and Connor Rogers, came up with 26 names of QBs that could be the Week 1 starter for the Jets in 2026, and they admitted they probably forgot a few obvious ones.

To pull this off, the Jets would have to give up a top-50 pick and immediately extend Pickens to a top-of-market WR contract.

With no clear solution at quarterback, this would be a risky move by the Jets that could potentially blow up in their face and cause long-term problems. The Jets would be better served going in a different direction to solve their WR issues.

Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.