ClutchPoints
Once again, the Dallas Cowboys have an unpaid superstar on their hands. George Pickens had his breakout season last year after he was traded to Dallas. He then caught 93 passes and had nine touchdowns, and his 1,429 receiving yards ranked third in the NFL. However, once Pickens’ contract expired at season’s end, Dallas handed him the franchise tag rather than a long-term extension.
The Pro Bowler and Second-team All-Pro will make a sizeable amount of money for his position group this upcoming season, as his non-exclusive tag will pay him $27.3 million, but it also ensures he will hit free agency again come next year. Pickens has skipped all voluntary workouts up to this point this offseason, signaling that he likely wants long-term security. The Cowboys have waited until the last second to pay their stars in the past, though, with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb serving as proof. Jerry Jones has alluded to long-term plans involving Pickens before, but a deal doesn’t seem to be close yet, and it is possible that the receiver will play this season on the tag.
The Georgia product is expected to return to action come mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, though, and that could get the ball rolling on a potential extension. So, if Pickens is given a new contract prior to the start of the season, what will it likely be worth?
Pickens certainly is in an interesting spot when it comes to a contract extension. Not only is conducting business as a star player with the Cowboys seemingly harder than it is with any other team, but Dallas also already has a highly paid receiver. Lamb has an average annual value of $34 million on a four-year, $136 million deal. Paying two receivers as two of the most highly paid pass catchers in the NFL is easier said than done, and the Cowboys aren’t flush with cap space.
Plus, although Pickens put up huge numbers in a year where he lived up to his potential during this past season, he had been inconsistent and immature often throughout his early NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers beforehand. Even so, the Cowboys can’t afford to lose Pickens for nothing, and if they were to franchise tag him again next year, that would only create more friction between the organization and their rising star.
Pickens’ return to mandatory minicamp doesn’t ensure a deal will get done any time soon, but it shows some level of commitment from the player, enough so that the Cowboys should give him a four-year, $136 million deal. That would be an exact match to Lamb’s deal. While Lamb is still probably the long-term top pass catcher in Dallas, deals tend to increase over time because of inflation, so signing Pickens to the same dollar value would show both players that they have the utmost confidence in both of their skill sets.
Many believe that Pickens shouldn’t make as much as Lamb because Lamb had...
