While George Pickens is set to collect roughly $27.3 million by playing the 2026 NFL season on the franchise tag, which is more than seven times the $3.658 million he earned this past year en route to earning Second-Team All-Pro honors, it's certainly no secret that the 25-year-old was hoping for a long-term contract extension instead.
But Jerry Jones, clearly not wanting a repeat of last year's Micah Parsons drama, seemingly has no intention to dish out such a deal, nor does it seem that there are any plans to trade the Pro Bowler. So, barring some sort of bizarre twist—which, let's be honest, could still happen as this is Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys we're talking about here—Pickens will have a star on the side of his helmet when he takes the field for the upcoming campaign.
Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith certainly knows a little something about contract negotiations with Jones, and during a recent appearance on NFL Network's The Insiders, the three-time Super Bowl champ sent a direct message to Pickens, telling him to try not to take things personally.
"I would say to George Pickens right now, you just ran into the business side of sports, period,” Smith said. "There’s nothing else but pure business. Try not to take it personally. I know you will, because I would take it personally too, but shuffle that energy to your performance because I think your performance itself is going to speak a lot louder than anything else."
Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith says George Pickens is still in a good position
That's certainly an interesting piece of advice, as Smith famously sat out all of training camp ahead of the 1993 season and missed Dallas' first two regular-season games before signing a deal that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
That said, though, his situation was much different.
For one, Smith was not under contract during his holdout, as his rookie deal had expired following the Cowboys' 52-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 27. So, there was no big payday already in place for that '93 campaign like the one Pickens has now.
But even beyond that, Smith had established himself as one of the top running backs in the game, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1990 and then leading the league in rushing yards in both 1991 and 1992. Even after missing those first two games in '93, he went on to again take the rushing title and ultimately won both NFL MVP and Super Bowl 28 MVP.
As for Pickens, he was unquestionably one of the top receivers in the game this past year, setting new career highs across the board with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. But in his three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while he averaged a solid 947 yards per season, he was in that good-not-great tier of wideouts.
So, when you think about it, Jones looking for one more year of big production before committing to several more years on a deal that could see Pickens command more than $30 million per season makes a ton of sense. And Smith simply wants Pickens to use this year to set himself up for that big contract next offseason, whether it's in Dallas or elsewhere.
"Allow your mood and your focus to be on dominating wide receivers so you can position yourself for free agency, or position yourself to be traded, or position yourself to give yourself an opportunity and better options for next year — and that’s a good thing,” Smith said.
“And it also sends the right message — it sends the message that you are worthy of the dollars that you want, it sends a message to the marketplace that you are worthy of not only playing at the professional level, but you work at it, you own your craft, and you’re a great team player.
"Any other 29 or 30 teams will appreciate having [that] player on their team. If the Cowboys choose to trade you, or you choose to go into free agency, whatever decisions that you make going forward, it puts you in a better light. And I think anybody can appreciate that. You’re still young, you got many years left, and you have an opportunity to set yourself apart."
Even if Pickens performs in 2026 like he did in 2025, it'll be interesting to see how Jones handles things, as CeeDee Lamb is already one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league, and Dak Prescott's astronomical salary certainly can't be overlooked. So, we'll just have to wait and see how things play out.
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