Besides the ongoing discourse about whether the Patriots will trade for wide receiver AJ Brown, there has been some discussion about shifting their focus to a different superstar pass catcher who might be up for grabs, too.
The Cowboys claim they want to keep George Pickens around beyond the 2025 season, prompting them to franchise-tag him this offseason. However, reports claim that the negotiation process for a long-term extension is not going as well as they had hoped, and it's possible that Pickens won't attend offseason practices until a deal is agreed upon.
There's a chance things could reach a standoff, and Jerry Jones could view trading Pickens as the more valuable option. We saw him do that with Micah Parsons, and before that, he held out as long as he could to get a deal done for CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, so this might be no different.
Not to mention, the Cowboys' latest visits with rookie prospects indicate they are not 100% in on keeping Pickens, and that's an opportunity the Patriots can't afford to ignore.
Latest chapter in George Pickens' saga could make dream trade possible for Patriots
According to the latest insight from NFL insiders, Dallas is set to meet with Louisville receiver Chris Bell ahead of the draft. This comes after they already met with first-round prospect Omar Cooper Jr., furthering the idea that a deal with Pickens is far from happening.
While it's not unheard of for teams to meet with top-30 prospects who don't necessarily fit their current roster, it is notable that the Cowboys have already met with a few receivers, especially given that they already have Lamb as their WR1.
If they felt confident that a deal for Pickens was inevitable, there wouldn't be many reasons to even entertain meeting with wide receivers. That's why it might not be outlandish to believe this is a sign that things aren't on the right path, and maybe, the Patriots will actually have a chance to inquire about a trade.
It would certainly cost a lot, even though the Cowboys already have two first-round picks this year, so it's not like they need another. But the assumption is they won't accept anything less for Pickens, given how impressive his 2025 season was.
Depending on how highly Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf think of Pickens and the impact he could make on the offense, there's reason to believe they might be willing to give up that kind of draft capital to get him on the team.
They are rumored to be willing to give up a first-rounder for someone like AJ Brown, so there's no reason not to do the same for a younger, more explosive option in Pickens. At least now it's looking more like the door isn't closed on shifting to him, or to him instead.