The Dallas Cowboys want to get in the George Pickens business for the long haul. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport says Dallas has their sights set on retaining its star wide receiver after the 2025 season.
Dallas wants to retain Pickens for 2026 and beyond, sources say. How that happens, however, could take on a few forms.
Pickens is in the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the year. When Dallas traded for the former Pittsburgh Steeler in the offseason, they
were hoping for a player who would not only open up things for CeeDee Lamb on the opposite side, but also help elevate Brian Schottenheimer in his first year as a head coach/play-caller in Dallas.
It’s safe to say Pickens has exceeded those expectations. Right now, he is second in the NFL with 908 receiving yards and is tied for third with seven touchdown receptions. Pickens is the fourth player in franchise history to have at least 900 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns through the team’s first 10 games of a season, per NFL Pro. He joins Hall of Famers Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, and Bob Hayes.
Pickens’ price tag will be determined this offseason by Athlete’s First super agent David Mulugheta. Rapoport makes clear that no contract talks have taken place yet If you listen to the voices of Dak Prescott, Schottenheimer, and Lamb, having No. 3 as a part of the team’s future sounds appealing for all parties involved. Pickens even went out of his way to pen an article with The Players’ Tribune talking about his journey to the Cowboys and how he’d love to stick around and play with guys like Prescott and Lamb.
The question remains—can Jerry and Stephen Jones strike a deal? The front office have not been shy about using the franchise tag as a way to keep negotiating past free agency. It sounds like all options are on the table.
Another option is to tag Pickens and try to trade him for future picks, and there is historical precedent for that. But that would be the backup option to signing him to a long-term deal in Dallas.
So here are the Cowboys’ options when it comes to George Pickens:
- Option 1: Sign George Pickens long-term
- Option 2: Franchise tag Pickens and continue to work out a new deal, keeping him around for at least another year
- Option 3: Franchise tag him, and if things get to a Micah Parsons level of negotiating in the offseason, trade him
The first option is the best, considering the Cowboys have another franchise star they’d like to sign to a contract extension this offseason. All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey is also set to be a free agent in the offseason and is represented by Todd France of Athlete’s First.
“Dallas has dipped its toes into contract talks with Aubrey, sources say, but those talks have not come to fruition and will be handled in the offseason.”
If the Cowboys don’t use the franchise tag on Pickens, then Dallas could opt to use it on Aubrey. Dallas could also use a first- or second-round tender on Aubrey, which would either pay him $8 million for one year or $6 million, respectively. However, whichever team wants to sign Aubrey would have to give up either a first- or second-round pick, depending on which tag Dallas would use in that situation. Dallas would also have the right of first refusal and could sign him to a deal equal to another team’s offer.
It wouldn’t be a real Cowboys offseason without some contract drama.
