If there's one prospective 2026 NFL free agent who has substantially increased his value in the 2025 season, it's Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. Pickens has been outstanding for the Cowboys since coming over in the trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2025 NFL Draft, and he's poised to get paid a lot of money on the open market...if he gets there.
The Cowboys obviously balked at a big-money contract for pass rusher Micah Parsons before the start of the 2025 season, but that's not the mistake they are poised to potentially repeat with Pickens.
According to a report from ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys are keeping the idea of franchise tagging Pickens in their back pocket with free agency looming, which would doom them to repeat a similar mistake they made once upon a time with Dak Prescott.
Cowboys dooming themselves to repeat Dak Prescott history with George Pickens
"The Pickens experiment in Dallas has gone swimmingly. He is pacing for 1,400-plus yards and more than 10 touchdowns as the ideal counterpart to CeeDee Lamb. His immense talent -- and the number of teams starved for receiver help -- will drive his value. Multiple league executives believe the inconsistency will be a factor to consider in free agency, but Pickens' results with capable quarterback play around him are undeniable. (The franchise tag -- which would be around $29 million -- could be a backup option for Dallas.)"
- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
The situation with Micah Parsons was a little different because the Cowboys were not going to pay two players quarterback-type money unless it was on their terms. But they were willing to pay Parsons an exorbitant amount, which now they could justify spreading to Pickens and others.
The idea that this franchise would franchise tag Pickens is extremely underwhelming, because the franchise tag is only good for keeping a guy around in the short term. It's bad for pretty much every other reason.
Franchise tagging a player gives you more time to negotiate if you need it, but Pickens has proven his worth very clearly, and his market is shaping up to at least $29 million per season, if not more. That's the going rate for receivers with his level of talent, production, and age. The Cowboys don't need to make a huge charade out of it like they did with Prescott, which also results in paying more than you otherwise would have.
There's no sense in franchise tagging Pickens as opposed to just giving him what he wants (and deserves). If the Cowboys mess around and wind up paying Pickens even more down the road because they decided to franchise tag him, they'll regret it.
Just figure out a way to keep Pickens around, keep him happy, and put some action behind your words about believing this team is in a Super Bowl window with Dak Prescott at quarterback.