George Pickens will not see a contract extension after earning his first Pro Bowl with the Cowboys—but he will not hold out. Having signed his franchise tag, he has reported to minicamp, as required. While he is not participating in team drills—serving as “coach Pickens”—he made clear his intentions for this season.
“What’s important to me is winning”, Pickens said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic, who confirmed that the veteran receiver added he has no plans to hold out. Regarding his absence from OTAs, he said he followed his agent’s advice. “Like I said from the beginning, I always want to bring a Super Bowl to a group of guys that never had that feeling. That’s really the most important part to me”.
Cowboys WR George Pickens said he’s not disappointed that he did not get a long-term deal. He doesn’t plan on holding out. He will be at training camp.
He said he didn’t attend voluntary OTAs because he was listening to his agent.
“What’s important to me is winning. Like I said… pic.twitter.com/YbKpEFfPEa
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) June 16, 2026
A second-round pick by the Steelers in 2022, George Pickens has always had tremendous talent. His off-field issues, which bled onto the field, created a headache for Pittsburgh, however. Recognizing that they would not sign him to an extension themselves, they finally agreed to trade him last May.
And while he put up numbers for the Cowboys last season, finally rewarded with the Pro Bowl he’s believed he’s deserved for years, Dallas still struggled. Going 7-9-1 with a healthy Dak Prescott, George Pickens is asking for a lot.
But apparently is not asking for a contract extension. Ordinarily, players in Pickens’ situation last year would have demanded an extension upon trade. Now he is going into a second season without an extension where most players of his caliber would have had one long ago. Of course, it helps that this year, he is making $27,298,000 on the franchise tag. That money alone will change the course of his family’s history for generations, if not squandered.
In three seasons with the Steelers, George Pickens caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns. In one season with the Cowboys, he caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns. Not only did he make the Pro Bowl, her earned second-team All-Pro recognition.
But he still lost more games with the Cowboys than he lost in any one season with the Steelers. And why is he content with not working out a contract extension this offseason—if he truly is? Did the Cowboys make clear to Pickens that it simply would not be happening and he has to deal with it?
A year ago, George Pickens never asked the Steelers to trade him. Despite his issues, there are no indications that he has ever been a disruptive employee in that way. While he skipped OTAs, he is there for minicamp and should be there for training camp.
GP looked good! No team drills, individuals but caught passes, looked sharp and even did a little dance on the sidelines post pass pic.twitter.com/1Kaezm3iLK
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) June 16, 2026
And really, that’s all he can do. If Pickens were to hold out, having already signed the franchise tag, he would probably only hurt himself. The Cowboys don’t seem any closer to being interested in doing an extension now and holding out wouldn’t help his cause. They obviously need to see more, or already know that it won’t work and want one more season from him.
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