As expected, the Dallas Cowboys will not let star wide receiver George Pickens reach free agency. After his best NFL season to date, Pickens was officially franchise-tagged on Friday afternoon. The Cowboys will pay him $27.3 million for the 2026 campaign, with his long-term future still undecided.
While there has been speculation that Dallas might tag and trade Pickens for a substantial return, the Cowboys are making one thing crystal clear: the man ain't going anywhere.
Stephen Jones shuts down George Pickens trade rumors
Pickens exploded in his first season with the Cowboys, collecting 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns — all career highs. Freed from the shackles of the frustratingly conservative Steelers offense, Pickens put his top-shelf athleticism on full display. He averaged 15.1 yards per catch (and 5.2 yards after the catch).
He looked right at home opposite CeeDee Lamb, anchoring Dallas' top-10 passing offense. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones' comments after the franchise tag removed all doubt regarding Pickens' NFL home next season.
"We couldn’t take the chance on losing him,” Jones told DLLS' Clarence Hill (h/t NBC Sports). “George was fired up, excited. He said, ‘I don’t want to play anywhere but with the Cowboys.’ That’s what we suspected. It was all good."
The Cowboys are smart to hang on. While Pickens has experienced his share of off- and on-field controversies, his sometimes abbrassive personality is overlooked easily enough when it looks like DBs are chasing a ghost.
Is Pickens truly thrilled about this outcome? We can take their word for it, but Pickens almost certainly wants a long-term deal. Spotrac projects his annual value at $30.6 million, which could mean Pickens is looking at four years and north of $120 million on the open market, with a healthy chunk of guaranteed salary.
Dallas now gets the chance to hammer out an extension in-house, without threat of Pickens leaving for another team. That could happen soon, or the Cowboys can wait until next winter to render a decision. You get more information from a two-year sample than a one-year sample, and Pickens' reputation is such that the Cowboys might not want to rush into a binding agreement for the next half-decade.
Is George Pickens still with the Cowboys in 2027?
That is the question, at the end of the day. While Pickens is set in stone for Dallas' Week 1 roster, his long-term outlook remains cloudy. Again, for all his talent, Pickens has ruffled a few feathers over the course of his four-year career. Things went over much smoother in Dallas than in Pittsburgh — no doubt because Pickens was a heck of a lot more satisfied with the situation — but there's always a chance for friction.
Jerry Jones looms over the whole situation too. There's a reason Dallas did not come strong with a new four-year offer. Their owner/GM was not ready to pay market price. We've seen Jones make quite the spectacle of extension negotiations in the past. He kept Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb on the hook for months before he finally sealed the deal. Last summer, Micah Parsons wound up on the trade block when Jones refused to honor his (completely reasonable and deserved) demands.
The Parsons stuff was particularly complicated, as Jones attempted to hold Parsons to a handshake deal that never really occurred and stonewalled Parsons' agent when the star edge rusher attempted to actually negotiate. Jones has a talent for drama. Less of a talent for roster-building. So, while Pickens is clearly a beneficial player and essential to what the Cowboys hope is a Super Bowl-caliber roster, it's difficult to pretty totally smooth-sailing between now and the extension that, in the end, he either does or does not sign.
For his part, Pickens should want to stay. The Cowboys are an institution — "America's Team," and whatnot. There's something to be said for playing good football in Dallas, especially when the fanbase is so hungry for an actually competitive team. The Cowboys have a long way to go before toppling Philadelphia, Seattle and other NFC heavyweights, but it starts with this offense.
The Cowboys were second to only the Rams in passing yards per game last season. The defense was atrocious, which meant the overall product suffered, but Dallas moved the chains and scored points more effectively than the majority of actual contenders. This team can win a shootout, but just imagine if Dallas' defense achieves even baseline competence. Suddenly, the Cowboys start to look and feel like a real threat.
Pickens took an already-explosive offense to the next level. He's 1B to Lamb's 1A in the wide receiver room, forming arguably the most potent pass-catching duo in the NFL. Pickens won't find many more fruitful setups. If the Cowboys can start to win, staying becomes even easier... so long as Dallas' front office makes it easy.