Cowboys news: The Dallas point of view on the Myles Garrett trade

Before he became one of the best defenders in the NFL, Myles Garrett had a request. He pleaded to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to trade up from the back of the first round of the 2017 draft
to the top, where they would be in position to select the former Arlington Martin and Texas A&M star.

“I’m pleading to you, Jerry,” he said in a video posted on ESPN. “Mr. [Jason] Garrett, make it happen. Dak Prescott is leading our team right now. I need you to take Tony Romo, a couple picks, and give them to Cleveland so you could pick me up. Please. I’d love to play in Dallas. Just make it happen.”

Garrett was selected first overall by the Browns and played there for nine years. And despite some fans pleading for Jones and the Cowboys to make a move for Garrett, who was reportedly available via trade, again he landed elsewhere.

In a blockbuster move that rattled the NFC, the Browns traded Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. They dealt the seven-time All-Pro and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year for a first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2028 and a third-round pick in 2029. The Rams also sent defensive end Jared Verse in the trade. Verse, a former first-round pick, made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two NFL seasons.

In the wake of the deal, some Cowboys fans wondered why their team

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didn’t swing a trade for the Arlington native. The better question is whether they could.

The answer: Likely not.

The main reasoning goes back to the trade itself. ESPN and NFL Network reported after Monday’s trade that the Rams had been interested in a trade for Garrett for some time. Their interest was to no avail, until the Rams decided to include Verse in the discussion. Verse is not Garrett, but he’s 25 and a proven piece on a rookie deal. Verse will have a cap hit of roughly $5 million the next two seasons combined. Garrett, 30, will have a cap hit of more than $24 million the next two seasons. That’s before a combined cap hit of roughly $113 million over the following three seasons.

One trade was speculated for months and the other fell out of the sky like a meteor, and with a similar impact, as wide receiver AJ Brown and all-world defensive end Myles Garrett, respectively, were dealt to other teams on June 1. The moves changed then landscape of not just the NFL in general, but most definitely for the Dallas Cowboys.

Brown reunited with Mike Vrabel for the New England Patriots going forward, taking him out of the Cowboys’ crosshairs entirely during the 2026 regular season.

One of the best receivers in the league, Brown was again set to square off against Dallas at least twice this year, once in Week 7 and again on Thanksgiving Day — the holiday game likely playing a massive role in ultimately determining this year’s NFC East champion.

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A three-time All-Pro, Brown was a perennial 1,000-yard receiver for Jalen Hurts, leaving Philly to figure out how they’ll replace the production of someone who amassed 5,034 total receiving yards and 32 touchdowns while averaging nearly 15 yards per reception since arriving via trade with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

The Eagles are banking largely on rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon combining with DeVonta Smith to answer that question, as they look to test the new-look and newly-led defense in Dallas that is headlined by All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs.

It bears mentioning that Smith and Lemon are of the same build, whereas Brown is often a far more difficult matchup for smaller defensive backs who are unable to out-physical him. That is to say, from a personnel matchup perspective, defensive coordinator Christian Parker may find less difficulty in trying to stop the passing attack of his former team.

George Pickens had the best season of his career in 2025 after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys, which happened to be a contract year for the wide receiver. The Cowboys weren’t interested in signing him to a long-term extension, however, with CeeDee Lamb already making an annual average of $34 million per season.

Dallas instead elected to use the franchise tag, kicking the can down the road for another season. Pickens signed the one-year tender, but still wants to sign a multi-year contract with the Cowboys. The chances of that happening seem to be slipping away, especially after Drake London and the Atlanta Falcons agreed to a new deal.

London’s new deal is for $141 million over four years, although he could see as much as $150 million with incentives. As for guaranteed money, London will get $100 million. That’s an average $35.25 million for London, and could increase to as high as $37.5 million per season.

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For Pickens, that number would be the floor for any negotiation. Although with super agent David Mulugheta representing him, it’s likely they demand much more than that, especially if Pickens has another strong campaign in 2026.

Comparing George Pickens to Drake London

London is an excellent receiver, who has been everything Atlanta hoped he would be when they used the eighth overall pick on the USC product. That said, his numbers aren’t as impressive as what Pickens displayed in Dallas.

In 2025, London had 68 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. He missed five games, so it’s not fair to compare those numbers to Pickens. Instead, we can look at 2024, when London played in all 17 games and had 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. Those were all career highs for the 6-foot-4 wideout and the only 1,000-yard campaign during his four-year career.

As for Pickens, his best season was in 2025 when he recorded 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. That was the second time he topped 1,000 yards and he averaged 16 yards per reception compared to 12.8 for London.

From a contract perspective, the Dallas Cowboys need to count their pennies carefully at the moment since, per Spotrac, they are 28th in salary cap space with just under $8M available. Still, that shouldn’t mean the Cowboys aren’t looking to extend players in the final years of their contracts. Almost every summer, usually during training camp, the Cowboys open the checkbook to award players some fresh cash in the form of extensions.

When looking at the team, who are some players the Cowboys could sign to extensions soon? Here are a few candidates.

Since joining the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2024, Brevyn Spann-Ford has carved out a role for himself with the Cowboys. Over his first two years, Spann-Ford has been mostly a reserve utilized as a special teams player and the blocking tight end.

As a blocker, he excels. The reason why Spann-Ford could be in line for an extension, and likely a modest one at that, is because there’s some untapped potential as a pass catcher. He isn’t as fluid as other counterparts on the roster, but his large catch radius makes him a big target in the red zone and over the middle of the field where Dak Prescott loves to utilize tight ends.

We must also consider that Luke Schoonmaker is in the final year of his contract and hasn’t done much to blow the team away after being drafted in the second round. Last season, Spann-Ford played on 24% of the offensive snaps versus 33% for Schoonmaker. If Dallas wants to pair their Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson with someone who is a good blocker with some receiving potential, it would align with Dallas giving Spann-Ford a new deal.