George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys
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George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have not, a week into the official start of the 2026 NFL league year, busted the budget quite the way team owner Jerry Jones suggested he would when he talked about the urgency he felt to improve the team’s defense after last year’s 7-9-1 finish. It’s unlikely they will, either, not the way other teams–especially their division rival Philadelphia Eagles–have done in recent years. But Jones can still show he has changed his approach to offseason spending by how he treats star receiver George Pickens.
The situation on Pickens is well-known. The Cowboys are within their rights as defined by the collective bargaining agreement to place the franchise tag on Pickens, a one-year deal worth $27 million. Pickens can sign that offer or, as he is currently doing, wait for a better, long-term deal from the team.
Coming off a season with 93 catches for 1,429 yards, Pickens is worthy of a top-of the market receiver contract, which runs more than $30 million per season and would likely pay him for four years. Jones has the power to defuse any drama with Pickens and just pay him a fair contract. But Jones is showing absolutely no indication he will do that.
Cowboys Are Not Talking With George Pickens
That would be out of character for the Cowboys and for Jones, who has basked in the spotlight of doing summer battle with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb two years ago, and Micah Parsons last year. He likely wants some spotlight from the Pickens situation, but that misses the point. If Jones gets something done with Pickens quickly, well before the July 15 deadline, he will get Pickens into the team’s offseason program and help him avoid rust and a lack of chemistry.
The problem, though, is that nothing meaningful has been discussed between Pickens and the team, despite nearly three weeks since the Cowboys revealed they would be tagging Pickens.
Franchise Tag Current Only Option
Cowboys beat reporter Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News was asked about the Pickens situation on Tuesday, and the answer he gave was a little bit too-typical for the Cowboys, who had vowed to turn over a new leaf this offseason, but were still giving the cold shoulder to one of their best players and his agent–David Mulugheta, the agent for Parsons.
Wrote Watkins: “At this stage, George Pickens will play under the franchise tag of $27.2 million. The Cowboys and Pickens’ agent haven’t exchanged any contract offers to merit progress toward a new deal. Jerry Jones has offered that Pickens is happy to be a Cowboy, but hasn’t indicated if Pickens is cool with the franchise tag. …
“If Pickens doesn’t show up for the offseason program or is late to camp or conducts a hold-in, this whole feel-good story with Pickens falls apart. You could say it’s difficult to ignore a $27.2 million one-year fully guaranteed deal. But Pickens wants a long-term deal, and 2025 brought lots of career-bests for him in a contract year. So, yes, Pickens deserves a new long-term deal. Whether he gets it this summer is uncertain, given the lack of progress in contract talks.”