Over the last several years, the Patriots have been consistently connected to some of the top-name wide receivers expected to either be traded or sign with a new team in free agency, mostly because they have struggled to find their next top option since Julian Edelman retired five years ago.
It was always a struggle during the Bill Belichick era because the head coach and GM never seemed all that interested in signing top talent at the position, as he expected Tom Brady to make do with who he had on the roster. And for the most part, that's exactly what the quarterback did.
Fortunately, a new coaching staff led by Mike Vrabel and a front office led by Eliot Wolf haven't adopted that same mindset and have worked hard to give Drake Maye the caliber of talent in the receiver room to elevate him to the next level.
They accomplished that with Stefon Diggs during the 2025 season, and crushed it even more by trading for A.J. Brown earlier this month. But that hasn't ruled out other potential trades this year, including current Cowboys playmaker George Pickens.
Before Dallas decided to franchise tag him this offseason, he was considered the biggest name for receiver-needy teams to go for, including the Patriots. Even after signing the tag, he has still been part of trade whispers and likely will be until this season's deadline.
But a trade doesn't appear to be any closer than it was a few months ago, according to NFL insiders, and now it might be time for the Patriots to focus their efforts elsewhere if they want to add a younger option for Maye to work with beyond the 2026 season.
Ian Rapoport shuts down the idea of the Cowboys trading George Pickens ahead of the season
During a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Ian Rapoport shared his latest intel on the Cowboys and Pickens situation, since the receiver hadn't been present for any of the offseason practices so far.
Now that he's present for mandatory minicamp, his future has been a topic of discussion. Rapoport made it clear that, from what he's heard, the Cowboys don't plan to trade Pickens and that he will likely receive an extension next offseason, assuming he has another impressive year.
"I do not expect a long-term deal this year. If he plays well and does everything he did last year, I think next offseason he'll be able to cash in and be one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. I don't believe they're gonna trade him. I think they just wanted to see more in one more year."
While this is encouraging news for Cowboys fans and even Pickens, it's the furthest thing from encouraging for any Patriots fan who was still holding out hope that the receiver would be a free agent next offseason or made available via trade so the team could make another blockbuster move.
It's beyond apparent that Brown will be a significant addition to the offense this fall, and Maye's performance will be even better because of it. But there are lingering concerns about his age and injury history, so adding a younger option like Pickens still made a lot of sense.
That doesn't appear to be an option anymore, not even next year, and that should force Vrabel and Wolf to look elsewhere to boost the receiving corps even more. Giving Maye a tandem of Brown and another top name would put the young quarterback in the best possible position to succeed now and in the long term, which is exactly what they need to do to keep their Super Bowl window open.
It would have been perfect if that other player could have been Pickens, but the Cowboys are playing hardball, and the Patriots don't have the time to keep it going.
If anything changes, though, they should be ready to pounce.
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