The Dallas Cowboys have revisited the George Pickens situation, and this time, the message is clear - they have no intention of moving on from their star wide receiver.

During a recent appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio, the Cowboys' executive vice president, Stephen Jones, revealed that he still expects Pickens to show up for the offseason mandatory program, despite being on a franchise tag.

“Certainly, that's what we expect”, Jones said. "I mean, anytime a player signs a contract and the expectations, as we hold for all of our players, are when you sign up, and you're under contract, then you're expected to do what your teammates are doing."

George Pickens had his best campaign overall with the Cowboys in 2025. In the 17 games that he played, he recorded 93 receptions for 1,429 yards. He also averaged 15.4 yards per catch and 9 touchdowns. Moreover, Pickens landed his first Pro Bowl selection last season.  

“I totally agree with you,” Jones said, while considering Pickens to be one of the powerful players on the team. “I think George Pickens has the chance to beat CeeDee, to be one of the best in the league, and that's what makes our offense dynamic.”

When further asked about the franchise tag trade discussion, Jones clearly stated that "there's zero interest in a trade for George Pickens."

The Dallas Cowboys front office seems united in its desire not to trade Pickens. The franchise's HC shared a similar statement on not being surprised by Pickens signing the deal. 

Cowboys HC Comments on George Pickens Signing

During the recent rookie minicamp session, HC Brian Schottenheimer shared his thoughts about Pickens' future with the team and any conversations about trade, as speculated.

"Was not surprised he signed the tender," Schottenheimer said, per Tommy Yarrish of the DallasCowboys.com. "The communication with GP along the whole offseason has been great. As you all know, this is voluntary, but again, I think that at the end of the day, I'm excited to see him when I see him."

The Cowboys HC has always maintained a very good relationship with Pickens. And contract negotiations don't seem to have affected it. He stated that the team isn't currently questioning Pickens’ future with the Cowboys, as they have "no intentions of trading him".

“I don’t think there’s any reason for us to have that [conversation]. That’s not what we plan on doing," Schottenheimer said. “That’s not what we plan on doing. At the end of the day, we see George being a part of this football team and having a great [2026] and hopefully beyond."

Schottenheimer is confident enough in this second-team All-Pro wide receiver that he would play without asking a dime in return, as he loves football and playing the game.

The Cowboys have time until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens and his agent. But the executives of the Cowboys have clearly stated they are going to let Pickens play at a franchise tag this year.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit