On Tuesday, five Baltimore Ravens will have the opportunity to showcase their talents at the 2026 Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl isn’t what it once was, and may be the most polarizing of all the All-Star games across the four major sports leagues. However, it remains a fun celebration for players who had strong seasons.
The Ravens had six players named to the Pro Bowl this year. That list includes wide receiver Zay Flowers, fullback Patrick Ricard, center Tyler Linderbaum, linebacker Roquan Smith, safety Kyle Hamilton, and punter Jordan Stout. Flowers opted out due to personal reasons, but the other five will take part in the games on Tuesday.
The Pro Bowl has rarely been a competition, and even since the introduction of the Pro Bowl Games and flag football game, it has become even less so. However, those five representatives for Baltimore could have a bigger task at hand: recruiting pending free agents. At the top of that list should be Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.
Ravens Pro Bowlers must try to bring George Pickens to Baltimore
Let’s set the record straight: the odds of Pickens leaving Dallas are very low. Jerry Jones has made it known that he wants Pickens back. He's the top priority for them this offseason. However, the 24-year-old had a career-best year in 2025. He totaled 93 receptions, 1,429 yards, and nine touchdowns. Those numbers are going to drive up his price, and if the Cowboys don’t franchise tag him, he could hear other teams out in free agency.
The Ravens currently have over $22 million in cap space. However, with an expected Lamar Jackson extension and a flurry of other moves like restructures and cuts, they could free up a ton of money for their offseason needs.
General Manager Eric DeCosta cannot afford to overlook the need for interior offensive line and pass rush. The team has gone far too long without a true difference maker at those spots. However, a consistent legitimate deep threat opposite of Flowers is also a big need. Pickens coming to Charm City to catch passes from Jackson and be the 1A to Flowers’ 1B would be scary.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of issues with this marriage. The first is the obvious money issue. The Ravens have plenty of players they’ll need to extend this offseason, including center Tyler Linderbaum, whom they would be foolish to let depart. According to Spotrac, Pickens is expected to earn a four-year deal worth a little over $122 million this offseason. That money won’t be easy to work around.
Pickens has also had character concerns throughout his NFL career. Most notably, he tends to show a lack of effort and frustration when he’s not getting the ball. In a run-heavy Baltimore offense, a potential pairing runs the risk of turning ugly.
Still, the team’s passing offense needs another threat. Flowers has earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods, but outside of him, the rest of the weapons have been inconsistent. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was expected to step into that number-two role, but fell well short of those expectations in 2025. To make matters worse, he caused drama this offseason with disgruntled posts from an (allegedly) hacked Instagram account.
The chances that the Ravens land Pickens aren’t exactly high, but their Pro Bowlers have an opportunity to shift his thought process ahead of free agency. Despite the heavy emphasis on the rushing attack, 99 percent of players would do anything to play with Lamar Jackson. A strong recruiting push from Ricard, Linderbaum, Smith, Hamilton, and Stout could give Baltimore a shot at landing the dynamic four-year veteran.