Cowboys fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when George Pickens confirmed he was happy with the franchise tag earlier in the week. And according to one insider's update, there's more good news.

During an episode of 89 with Steve Smith Sr., NFL insider James Palmer talked about George Pickens’ future with the Cowboys after being given the franchise tag of $27.3 million. Palmer opened up about the possibility of Pickens starting for the Cowboys in Week 1.

“He’ll be playing with the Dallas Cowboys, week one. I really think that’s the case,” said Palmer.

Palmer's statement comes in light of fans wondering whether Pickens would be a part of the team's future. While team owner Jerry Jones and QB Dak Prescott made it clear they wanted Pickens to stay, there was some uncertainty, especially since Pickens missed the voluntary part of the Cowboys' off-season program.

However, earlier in the week, speaking after the mandatory minicamp Pickens turned up for, the wide receiver made it clear his focus was on playing football for the time and that he was happy with the franchise tag.

Pickens had said, "So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about [the contract] … Well, let my agent worry about it really."

Palmer also went on to explain the reason as to why Pickens will be expected to start.

“It’s hard financially for teams to have the amount of money and he’d have to negotiate a contract with another team. Now, they’d have to grant him the ability to speak to another team, so he has a little bit of power in the idea of a trade because nobody’s going to give up the capital it would take to get George Pickens and not have a contract lined up.”

Palmer likely referred to the contract Pickens may ask for. After a season with Pickens putting up a career-best 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns, estimates had put a possible contract somewhere near $35-$40 million a year, a number that would have put Pickens in the top five of highest-paid receivers.

However, according to one analyst, Pickens could be a target for an AFC West team.

Pickens An Unlikely Target For AFC West Team

Most expect Pickens to stay with the Cowboys, such as ESPN’s Ian Rapoport, who on Friday during the Pat McAfee Show talked about how the Cowboys want to see Pickens’ output this season before agreeing to a new deal.

However, in Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton’s list of bold trade predictions for the season, he believed that the Kansas City Chiefs would be a good landing spot for the wide receiver.

“If Ryan Flournoy blossoms in a complementary role, the Cowboys could trade Pickens to a receiver-needy contending team like the Kansas City Chiefs, who don’t have a reliable lead perimeter playmaker,” wrote Moton.

Would you trade Pickens or resign him? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar