In under a week from now, NFL free agency will begin its legal tampering period, and that is followed by the official opening of the yearly stampede. With a new NFL calendar kicking in, contracts expire for hundreds of players and one of the best times of the offseason swings into action.
The Dallas Cowboys are doing what they can from having their star players hit that market. Javonte Williams got a new deal which was well-received by Cowboys fans. The Cowboys are negotiating with Brandon Aubrey,
and they have a second-round tender for a restricted free agent in their back pocket as more leverage.
The other star they needed to keep was George Pickens. They made sure that Pickens wouldn’t hit free agency by giving him the non-exclusive franchise tag. For now, the process is on hold as the two sides make their decisions about the future.
There are three basic outcomes for Pickens after getting the tag. The first one is the basic one. He plays under the tag for 2026 and costs the Cowboys a $27.3 million cap hit. That is a high cap hit when you’re also paying CeeDee Lamb. That could put a crimp into any free agent acquisition plans.
The second outcome is the two sides come to a long-term deal agreement that allows Pickens to play with a much lower cap hit for 2026, and binds him to the team for the near future. This one will depend on how much Pickens wants per year, and probably more importantly how much the Cowboys are willing to pay.
The third outcome has Pickens playing on another team and the Cowboys receiving draft picks. Since it’s a non-exclusive tag, Pickens can negotiate with other teams. Dallas has right of first refusal, and if they let Pickens go because they won’t match an offer sheet, they get two first-round picks.
It’s unlikely any team would give up two first-round picks for Pickens, but there could be a scenario where a team makes it known that they are ready to offer much more money than the Cowboys likely would. Instead of doing the offer sheet route, the sides all reach some kind of a deal for a lesser package of picks, allowing Pickens to be traded on the tag, and Dallas gets some draft ammunition while the acquiring team gives Pickens the new long-term deal.
Out of these three scenarios, which one is the most likely for 2026?
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