So you're telling me there's a chance... Actually, no. Not anymore. There's absolutely no chance of the Denver Broncos signing wide receiver George Pickens in 2026 NFL free agency, and the Dallas Cowboys have just made sure of that.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys are expected to place the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, who was acquired by the team in a trade with the Steelers last offseason. That trade was one of the good ones the Cowboys actually made last year, and they intend to make it a long-term investment as opposed to a short-term rental.
Nobody realistically expected the Broncos to be able to get Pickens in free agency, but it was fun to dream for a bit, anyway. Now, the team's sights will almost certainly be set on potential trade targets instead of free agent pass-catchers.
Broncos need to get ready for wide receiver trade with George Pickens getting tagged
Pickens has been projected as one of the top receivers on the market now for quite some time, and for good reason. He's coming off of a monster year with the Cowboys and proved himself as a viable WR1 in the NFL despite playing alongside CeeDee Lamb in the Cowboys' offense.
And a viable WR1 is missing from the Denver Broncos' offense.
With all due respect to Courtland Sutton, who just made the second Pro Bowl of his NFL career, the Broncos do not currently have a true WR1 in the offense, a fact that has hurt the team considerably in the first two years of the Bo Nix era.
The Broncos need a ball-dominant player at wide receiver who can win in any situation, and be a true go-to threat any given week. There have been far too many weeks without steady production from Sutton as well as dropped passes in recent years, and he can be much more effective as a WR2 in Denver or possibly a trade chip to acquire someone else.
One of the names that's been thrown out there for the Broncos this offseason is disgruntled Eagles receiver AJ Brown, who would be a perfect fit for the Broncos with his ability to win every possible way as a receiver. Another name that's been thrown out that would be really great is Marvin Harrison Jr., who could be available with the Cardinals changing things up in 2026.
We'll see what else becomes available, but the free agent class of receivers is underwhelming, as you would expect. Not many impact WR1 types of receivers are just going to hit free agency, so the Broncos have to be prepared to make a trade for one.
With Pickens off the board, they can set their sights on doing exactly that as soon as possible.