In an unexpected turn, contract talks with Brandon Aubrey have turned adversarial following conflicting reports about his per-year asking price. Simply put, if Aubrey is the negotiation that triggers the biggest headaches, the Dallas Cowboys should do backflips.
Of course, the George Pickens negotiation is the clear leader in the clubhouse to cause the most angst.
Brian Schottenheimer could become collateral damage if Pickens skips a portion of the offseason program, which seems likely based on recent reporting.
While Schottenheimer wants Pickens to be a full participant, he affirmed that his relationship with Pickens won't change, drawing a firm line between business and football.
"This is going to play out the way it's supposed to play out," Schottenheimer said. "GP loves football, and my relationship with GP doesn't change just like it didn't with CeeDee. It's just all about the process, the business side of it."
Brian Schottenheimer draws clear line in Dallas Cowboys' contract talks with George Pickens
To be clear, Schottenheimer wants Pickens back. Here's what Dallas' head coach said when he was asked if he thinks Pickens will be a Cowboy long-term:
"I hope. Everything I've been around George from the time he got here, and I say this respectfully, I kicked his ass in shooting free throws in my office. He might not remember it that way. I knew this guy's a competitor and he loves football, so I hope so."
As the play-caller, Schottenheimer obviously wants Pickens around. He makes everyone’s job easier -- including Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Javonte Williams -- all of whom have openly campaigned for his return.
Schottenheimer doesn't have any sway in negotiations. That is between the Joneses, Pickens, and Pickens' reps.
In a sense, the 52-year-old subtly distanced himself from the Cowboys’ decision-makers. He took a similar approach with Micah Parsons last offseason while Parsons sat out OTAs and training camp. That relationship didn’t appear to strain the way it did between Parsons and the front office.
There’s no reason for Schottenheimer to change course. If anything, the Parsons saga prepared him for the distraction Pickens’ negotiations are likely to create, unless the Joneses move quickly to get a deal done.
But that feels highly unlikely at this juncture.
The Cowboys have yet to speak with Pickens’ representatives and plan to use the franchise tag as a placeholder while talks unfold. That could change at any moment, but co-owner Stephen Jones already tempered expectations, conceding that an agreement won't come together overnight.
July 15 is the deadline for tagged players to agree to multi-year deals with their respective teams, so Dallas won't have as long to negotiate with Pickens as they did with Parsons last year and Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in 2024.
History suggests the Joneses will use up every minute before the deadline, leaving Schottenheimer to play middleman yet again.