The Dallas Cowboys placed the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens on Friday.
Pickens is the first member of the Cowboys to receive the tag since tight end Dalton Schultz in 2022.
Dallas would be charged a one-year salary of around $28.8 million for tagging Pickens unless the two sides reach a long-term agreement before July 15.
"My relationship with GP doesn't change," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "Just like it didn't change with CeeDee
(Lamb) or Dak (Prescott) when those guys were going through certain things. It's all part of the process. It's the business side of it. ... This is going to play out the way it's supposed to play out. GP loves football."
Pickens, who turns 25 on March 4, caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards with nine touchdowns in 17 games in his first season with the Cowboys in 2025.
Team vice president Stephen Jones confirmed earlier this week that the Cowboys had no plans to part with Pickens.
"We want Pickens here. We think the world of him," Jones said Monday in Indianapolis. "Want him here. Love him, and I think he wants to be here. So all that's a plus."
The Steelers selected Pickens in the second round of the 2022 draft and he played his first three seasons in Pittsburgh. Pickens has produced 267 receptions, 4,270 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in 65 games (55 starts).
--Field Level Media
