Pro Football Rumors
As expected, George Pickens has been present with the Cowboys this week for their mandatory minicamp. His second Dallas campaign is set to be played on the franchise tag.
As a result, Pickens is in line to make $27.3MM this season. There is still time for a long-term agreement to be reached in his case, but Dallas made it clear earlier in the offseason no negotiations on that front would be taking place. Pickens is of course short on alternatives, but he is in position to avoid any holdouts during the summer.
“Like the tag and all that, it’s just football first,” the 2025 trade acquisition said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about [the contract]… Well, let my agent worry about it really.”
Pickens and his camp avoided negotiations on an extension upon arrival in Dallas. That made 2025 a pivotal campaign, and the 25-year-old thrived on his new team to say the least. Pickens set new career highs in several categories and was among the league leaders in terms of production. Expectations will be high again for 2026, although another strong showing still may not result in a long-term Cowboys commitment.
There is concern in Pickens’ camp about Dallas using the franchise tag once again next spring, SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora reports. Second tags are worth 120% of the original ones, which means using the tender again in 2027 would cost Dallas $32.76MM. That figure would be guaranteed in full and match the Georgia product’s cap charge. Retaining Pickens at a lower rate (in terms of immediate cap hits) would only be feasible with a multiyear extension.
The top of the receiver market has moved to $42.15MM per year thanks to Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s Seahawks extension. Pickens would not be expected to reach that figure given his off-field history, but a raise compared to the value of his current tag would likely be the starting point for negotiations on a long-term pact. The matter of when talks on that front begin will make for an interesting storyline to follow.
Pickens noted (via Archer) he spoke with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer prior to signing his franchise tag. He expressed gratitude for being transparent about the situation without asking about the decision to avoid considering a commitment beyond 2026. With a second tag looming as a possible short-term solution from the team’s perspective, Pickens’ contract stance will represent a notable sublot to Dallas’ coming season.
