Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has never been shy about his love of the NFL. Now, at Fanatics Fest NYC, he said that if he ever stepped onto a football pitch, the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is the NFL player he’d compare himself to the most. 

Cowboyz Plug, a Cowboys Fan Account on X, posted the Georgia Bulldogs connection between the two players after the comment was made during a special event live panel.

"NBA superstar Anthony Edwards says he'd play like Cowboys WR George Pickens if he were on the football field," @Cowboyz_Plug wrote on X.

Both players attended the University of Georgia, with Edwards completing a stellar freshman season in 2019-20 before going No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, and Pickens played as a Bulldog WR from 2019-21.

Pickens and Edwards both graduated from the same university and had similar sports careers. Edwards plays exciting basketball, and Pickens plays football and makes tough catches and blocks.

That comparison is quite important for Pickens in Dallas because it is coming in the middle of the Cowboys' wide receiver's 2026 season on a completely guaranteed $27.3 million franchise tag.

This is after the mid-July extension deadline passed without a multi-year contract.

Since Pickens had a breakout season in 2025, he had a career high in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns (93 catches for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns), in addition to his 2025 teammate, WR CeeDee Lamb.

Pickens now heads into the 2026 season, arguably one of the most feared WRs in the NFL. Not to mention, he is admired outside the league as well.

The Cowboys could be right to hold off on a George Pickens long-term deal

Though many expected a long-term deal for Pickens this year, Jerry Jones is still waiting to commit.

In 2026, Pickens will play on the franchise tag worth $28 million. As for cap math, it’s simple. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb will have a cap hit of $64.1 million this season, and combining Pickens’ $28 million tag with $42.45 million of dead cap means the Cowboys are going to be working with little maneuverability.

Per Austen Bundy, FanSided (July 16, 2026), if he repeats this in 2026, Dallas or another team will pay him what he’s worth.

Pickens signed the tag and let his play do the talking. If the Cowboys remain in contention, the biggest challenge during the offseason will be a cap extension for him.

You can read more at the Dallas Cowboys Community!

Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote