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George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys
It’s not really in the nature of Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer to exude panic, even in particularly tense or worrisome situations. So it’s not much surprise that, when asked about the status of star receiver George Pickens–a free agent who’s been given the franchise tag by the team–Schottenheimer played it cool.
Sure, Pickens was one of the best receivers in the NFL in 2025, and sure the team really wants to get him back to The Star for the offseason program as Dallas makes a determined effort to put the sting of back-to-back seven-win seasons behind it. But there’s no telling whether he will actually show up for the Cowboys’ voluntary offseason work while he is on the franchise tag contract (one year, $27 million), not when he is seeking a long-term deal commensurate with what other top wide receivers are typically paid.
Speaking to Cowboys reporters from Phoenix, site of this year’s NFL owner meetings, Schottenheimer said he has had no assurances from Pickens that he will attend the team’s offseason workouts, and that he’s not all that worried about it.
George Pickens Is ‘Doing Great’
Schottenheimer first was asked about keeping in touch with Pickens, who has been seen more than once hanging out with Cowboys teammate CeeDee Lamb in social media videos.
Said the coach: “I had a conversation with George, he’s doing great. He and CeeDee have been taking a lot of trips together, so when I text him now, I kinda text them both. I was at a wedding the other day, my niece got married so I texted them both. Hey look, GP loves it here. We love GP. We have plans for GP to be here for a long time, so we’ll let the business side of this thing play out and see where it goes.”
Brian Schottenheimer Bobby Wagner
GettyBrian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Have No Assurance George Pickens Will Participate in Offseason Program
That’s a reasonable position for Schottenheimer to take, but the issue is that Pickens is coming off a season in which he went for 93 catches and 1,429 yards. The Cowboys do not want him missing offseason time, not with an offense that is expected to be among the best in the game and could spearhead a return to prominence in Dallas.
Schottenheimer seems to understand he is not in a position to arm-wrestle Pickens into compliance.
“No, and I haven’t pushed that on him,” Schottenheimer said when asked about getting Pickens into the offseason program. “I mean, again, we’re all going through the process. It’s almost April. We’re still a couple weeks away. It’s going to play out the way it plays out. Again, it’s all voluntary. So, you know, we’ll see where it goes.”
Cowboys Situation Delicate for Brian Schottenheimer
While Schottenheimer is right in that it is early in the offseason, the Cowboys have seen holdout situations play out in each of the last two summers, with CeeDee Lamb in 2024 and Micah Parsons in 2025. For a team bent on competing again, eliminating these kinds of distractions–the Cowboys could sign Pickens to a new contract at any point up to July 15–would be ideal.
It’s not time to panic about the Pickens situation. But even with Schottenheimer’s mellow comments on Pickens and offseason work, it is decidedly not ideal.