The Dallas Cowboys placed star wideout George Pickens on a franchise tag, securing him for the 2026 season for $27.298 million. However, questions about his long-term future with the team remain unresolved. 

Pickens was a highlight of the Cowboys' season last year, recording a career year and emerging as the third leader in receiving yards. Fans definitely want to see more of him. But with Jones putting a franchise tag on the WR, Pickens' career might be defined by more of them.

“[Pay-as-you-go]is a smart strategy with Pickens,” one longtime NFL contract negotiator told SportsBoom's Jason La Canfora. “And Jerry [Jones]’s never shy about applying the tag.”

“Even if Pickens keeps it together [in 2026], there would be some obvious concerns about how he would operate with the kind of guarantees that would come with a top-of-market deal… I don’t believe Jerry subscribes to the calculus of having two receivers on a mega deal and his quarterback at the top of the market.”

The team has already committed heavily to its quarterback, with Dak Prescott on a four-year, $240M deal and WR CeeDee Lamb on a four-year, $136M contract.

Bumping up Pickens' pay would have most likely led to Lamb's already-high salary being raised. Even though the latter has said he doesn't mind Pickens having a bigger contract, this is still a very possible situation.

But there are still so many other ways this situation could pan out.

Can Dallas Lose George Pickens In The Future?

“We have a long-term plan with him,” Jerry Jones told the press in the league's annual meetings about the Pickens situation. But the WR has still not signed the franchise tag, which makes him free to leave after 2026.

Pickens has not been attending offseason camps, as he is not bound by a contract and, therefore, not obliged to participate. But he has been training with Dak Prescott, which implies that he does have a desire to return. Given how important Pickens is to the team, fans don't want the team to mess up this situation.

Dallas and former edge Micah Parsons parted ways because of a fallout in negotiations. Things took a turn after Jones reportedly sought to negotiate directly with Parsons, without his agent, David Mulugheta, in play. Pickens also has the same man representing him. And, Jones also told the press during the annual meet that the WR would "save a lot of money" if he dropped his agent.

What do you think of this situation? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Afreen Kabir