The Kansas City Chiefs should be prime candidates to make an in-season trade for a star wide receiver, particularly if the team doesn’t add a veteran to the position group before the year begins in September.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report predicted on Thursday, June 18 that Kansas City will make a blockbuster offer to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the mid-season trade deadline to acquire second-team All-Pro wideout George Pickens.
Informing that prediction are comments from the team that it will not negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens in the coming months, as he is under contract for the 2026 season on a $27.3 million deal via the franchise tag provision.
And while Pickens has stated he will not hold out for a multiyear contract, he is notoriously mercurial. Clashes with leadership led the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade Pickens, along with a sixth-round pick, ahead of last season for just a third-rounder and fifth-rounder in return.
The emergence of Cowboys second-year wideout Ryan Flournoy in 2025, who displayed an ability to play effectively both outside and in the slot last season, also renders Pickens more tradable.
“Dallas’ hesitation to negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens opens up the possibility for a trade midway through the upcoming campaign,” Moton wrote. “If Flournoy blossoms in a complementary role, the Cowboys could trade Pickens to a receiver-needy contending team like the Kansas City Chiefs, who don’t have a reliable lead perimeter playmaker.”
Performances of CeeDee Lamb, Ryan Flournoy May Factor into Cowboys’ Willingness to Trade George Pickens
GettyDallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports and NFL Network named Dallas the best offense in the NFL heading into the 2026 campaign on the Wednesday, June 17 edition of “The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny.”
Considering the continuity and talent of the Cowboys’ offensive unit, it might take a lot for the team to part ways with Pickens in the middle of the year — particularly if they’re playing at the level analysts and insiders like Tice and Kimes (who ranked Dallas the No. 2 offense) expect.
But there is a formula that could lead to that outcome.
If CeeDee Lamb remains healthy and reclaims the No. 1 role, Flournoy develops as a legitimate WR2 building off a couple monster games he had last season among his 475 yards and four TDs, and Pickens regresses, battles injury and/or causes locker room issues, then Dallas might look to the trade market for a high-end return.
Chiefs Have Assets Necessary to Trade for, Retain George Pickens
GettyQuarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and head coach Andy Reid (right) of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs would be among the strongest candidates should Pickens come available given their need at the position and that they play in the AFC, meaning Pickens couldn’t come back to haunt the Cowboys in the playoffs unless the two teams met in the Super Bowl.
Dallas will almost certainly ask for a first-rounder in return for Pickens, 25, who produced 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine scores in a career campaign in 2025. However, conditions that might render Pickens tradable in Dallas could also impact his value, bringing a second-round return potentially into the discussion.
Regardless of specific price, any team trading for Pickens is going to want to sign him to a multiyear extension after giving up a premium draft pick. Thus, Pickens will have some leverage over where he goes by potentially threatening not to ink any such deal and enter unrestricted free agency next March.
But the Chiefs have quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his prime and locked up through 2033 on the richest contract in league history, not to mention three Super Bowl wins and five appearances since the 2019-20 season.
If Kansas City is willing to pay Pickens like one of the top receivers in the game and offer up a future first-round pick in 2027 or 2028, the franchise should have a reasonable shot to deal for the WR if the Cowboys make him available.
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