George Pickens is headed to the Dallas Cowboys. Will these three teams regret not making the move? The news broke on Wednesday morning, as Pickens will now join a wide receiver room with CeeDee Lamb, so this could be the next elite duo in the NFL.
It's actually a great move from Jerry Jones, who is not always known for doing the right thing. Well, now that the trade is done and over with, will these three teams regret not making the move?
3 teams who will regret big-time not trading for WR George Pickens
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills did add Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore this offseason, so they made an effort to raise the floor of the WR room and solidify it overall. Would they have benefited from another tall WR like Pickens? They do have Keon Coleman, who caught 29 of his 57 targets for 556 yards during his rookie season.
And they also have the sure-handed Khalil Shakir. A trio of Coleman, Shakir, and Pickens really would have been nearly unstoppable for the Bills, as they also have Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, and James Cook. This trade really would have been about 'the rich getting richer,' and it would have been a neat move for this front office to make.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos did add rookie WR Pat Bryant into the mix in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the team's WR room is still missing 'that guy.' Courtland Sutton is not a legitimate WR1, and they really don't have a WR that is a consistent mismatch target.
With Bo Nix entering a crucial year two, the Broncos should have strongly considered shipping Sutton and a late-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for George Pickens, as this would have made their WR room several years younger and would have given them a legitimate no. 1 target to go along with Marvin Mims Jr, Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, and the rookie Bryant.
Detroit Lions
It seems like the Detroit Lions are prepared to trade Jameson Williams, and they did draft a WR in GIsaac TeSlaa in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even with how good the Lions offense is, they have had a need for another WR for multiple seasons now. If they are still prepared to part with Jameson Williams, you have to wonder if a potential package with Williams heading to Pittsburgh and Pickens heading to Detroit would have satisfied the Lions and Steelers each.
The Lions top WR is Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the clear no. 2 target at the position is not obvious.