Only one wide receiver has produced more yards this season than Cowboys No. 2 target George Pickens.
Dallas landed the 24-year-old in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to run routes opposite CeeDee Lamb.
Pickens' contract is expiring at the end of the season, leaving the Cowboys with a massive decision to make.
"I'd love to be back. Especially with (Lamb and Dak Prescott) -- all the guys really," Pickens said Thursday.
He has 58 receptions for 908 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games after shredding
the Raiders for 144 yards. He's on pace for 99 receptions for 1,544 yards and 12 touchdowns, the kind of statistical line that would also add a lot of digits to a long-term contract offer.
Cowboys owner and chief decision-maker Jerry Jones did not willingly open the coffers to sign Lamb to an extension in training camp 2024. With Lamb holding out and Prescott's contract to address, Jones eventually budged and made Lamb the highest-paid receiver in the league with a four-year deal worth $136 million.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seahawks leads the NFL with 1,146 yards in 2025. He has been targeted 97 times compared to Pickens' 83.
Pickens came with a reputation as a fiery, even abrasive, player in the Pittsburgh locker room. But current teammates haven't had the same experience.
Even after being punished Monday night for what Lamb said Thursday was a curfew violation -- Lamb said he and Pickens were out after curfew Sunday night at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas -- Jones told 105.3 FM The Fan this week that it was feasible to keep Pickens.
The franchise tag is one mechanism available to the Cowboys to retain Pickens without a long-term commitment. But Pickens isn't so sure he'd welcome an extended stay if it means the franchise tag. The projected one-year tender for wide receivers on the franchise tag next season is $25 million.
"I'd probably have to wait until that comes. I can't really see into the future," he said.
Dallas traded a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-rounder in 2027 to the Steelers for Pickens. Dallas also received a seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft.
--Field Level Media
