While wide receiver George Pickens is set to play the 2026 season on the franchise tag, some have already speculated that the Cowboys could eventually be forced to choose between him and WR CeeDee Lamb.

From a mailbag published by NFL Insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, he suggested a possible scenario that would keep both the WRs with the Cowboys through 2028. 

“If they sign Pickens long-term, then I think it’ll be next March or so,” Breer wrote. “At that point, Pickens will be turning 26, and Lamb will be turning 28. So each will be in the prime of his career, and having both will have some appeal. Lamb’s cash also isn’t outrageous going forward—he’s due $29 million in 2027 and $31.99 million in 2028. So having those two together through 2028 is certainly feasible.”

Breer's perception differs from the assumption that Dallas will eventually have to choose between Lamb and Pickens because of salary-cap constraints. Instead, he believes the structure of Lamb's current contract could give the Cowboys enough flexibility to keep both receivers together for at least the next few seasons.

The Cowboys have previously indicated that a long-term decision on Pickens is unlikely to come immediately, with team executives pointing to broader roster-building considerations.

During a pre-draft conference, Cowboys Exec. VP Stephen Jones said that paying two top-of-the-market WRs - Pickens ($27.3M) and Lamb ($34M) alongside quarterback Dak Prescott’s ($60M) deal was one of the reasons for keeping Pickens under the tag, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com.

Breer believes Lamb's contract could become a topic of discussion after the 2026 season, as only $7M guaranteed money will remain in his contract.

“But will Lamb be O.K. if Pickens gets, say, $40 million per year, presuming he repeats what he did in 2025 both on and off the field?” Breer noted. “If Lamb has a big year, will he push the envelope as other players have? I’d say, sure, there’s a chance of that, and maybe even a better chance of it if Pickens gets a massive new deal."

Although Breer views the Lamb-Pickens partnership through 2028 as a feasible scenario, one analyst believes that the Cowboys may have to move forward with only one wide receiver.

Dan Orlovsky Predicts Tough WR Decision for Cowboys in Future

On ESPN's Get Up show, Dan Orlovsky suggested that the Cowboys will be forced to choose between Lamb and Pickens due to long-term financial reasons.

"They're not keeping both of them," Orlovsky said, per Caleb Hightower of SportingNews. "So it's going to be signing George Pickens to a long-term deal that they've been hesitant to do, or CeeDee Lamb's going to be traded.”

Though Orlovsky acknowledges that both are 'great receivers', he believes that Lamb is more reliable than Pickens in terms of personality, as Pickens has yet to prove his maturity.

For now, Breer believes Dallas has a path to keeping both receivers, even as questions continue about how the Cowboys will handle future contracts for two of the team's biggest offensive stars.

What do you think Dallas will do regarding their WR situation? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Rudra Dubey