Jaylen Waddle Trade Provides Asking Price For George Pickens

The price may have just gone up. Or for all we know the price went down. Whatever direction it may have moved, it feels fair to say that Tuesday provided some overall context for the proverbial price for George Pickens should the Dallas Cowboys be interested in trading him. We can thank the Denver Broncos for this.

A George Pickens price may now be set

On Tuesday, the Broncos and Dolphins engaged in a trade involving Jaylen Waddle. Interestingly, prior to the move the Broncos had yet to add an external player in free agency (a life the Cowboys know all too well), but this deal put a stop to that madness.

The reported trade terms:

• Broncos receive: Jaylen Waddle, 2026 fourth-round pick
• Dolphins receive: 2026 first-round pick, 2026 third, round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick

With all due respect to what the Broncos offense will look like with Waddle, what we are most interested in is how all of this impacts (or could impact) the Cowboys. Interestingly, you could argue this is all slightly possible because a former Cowboys receiver signed with Miami in Jalen Tolbert. I said slightly, to be clear.

The first-round pick that Miami is receiving is 30th overall and that is clearly the main variable involved with the trade. If you are a Cowboys fan interested in trading George Pickens (who the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on this offseason) then it stands to reason that you would want a first-rounder involved.

That may not be totally possible. For starters, Waddle is currently under contract. The Broncos are not in a position where they have to immediately negotiate a new one with him like a hypothetical team would be with Pickens. While that is true, it is certainly worth noting that pending extensions have hardly spooked teams from trading with the Cowboys in recent memory (cough, Micah Parsons, cough).

Let’s assume there is some tax involved in this overall sense, though.

Would you take this deal for Pickens?

A first-round pick does indeed seem like too much. What about the third- and fourth-rounder on their own? Is that too little? Pickens did initially go for a third-round pick, after all.

Is the happy medium somewhere in between? A second-round pick on its own? Or would you rather have the third- and fourth-round picks if you could fetch that combination?

Your answer as to whether or not you would take a package along these lines likely depends on how you view the Cowboys from an operational standpoint here in 2026. If you think they are close to contending then you may place a greater value on what Pickens can provide. There is no question that a top 100 selection could help the current team contend as well, this really is a matter where you have to choose the specific adventure that you feel the most comfortable with.

What would you do?