For a guy with a slender frame, George Pickens' contract situation is going to weigh down every press conference in Frisco for the foreseeable future. For those who enjoy instant gratification, get comfortable, because this movie is running through the end of the 2026 season.
Dak Prescott would prefer an earlier ending, and it stands to reason that most of the Dallas Cowboys' locker room feels the same.
Kay Adams made an appearance at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard. Naturally, she asked Prescott how "impressed" he's been by Pickens' attitude this summer after not getting a long-term contract from Dallas.
"Very impressed, but not surprised," Prescott said. "(If) you know George, you know he loves football, and at the end of the day, it's not for the money. He should get every dollar he deserves cause he's a hell of a player, and we should probably give it to him sooner than later because it's only gonna go up. ..."
Yes, it would have behooved the Cowboys to pay Pickens "sooner than later," but they missed their window. Under league rules, the franchise tag locks Pickens' contract in place until after the 2026 season ends.
NFL rules prohibit the Dallas Cowboys from paying George Pickens right now
Between Pickens signing his non-exclusive tag in late April and the July 15 deadline at 3:00 p.m. CT for tagged players to negotiate an extension, Jerry Jones and Co. had a clear window to lock him down long-term.
Per league rules, the Cowboys cannot extend Pickens' contract until after their regular-season finale in January of 2027, when the franchise tag expires.
That's a crucial detail Prescott glossed over, though it's hard to blame him. He's just advocating for his guy to get paid. What's the harm in that? And he's right about one thing: Pickens' price tag is going to keep climbing.
Here’s a snapshot of the major wide receiver deals signed this offseason, via Over The Cap:
Player | Annual salary | Fully guaranteed $ |
|---|---|---|
Jaxson Smith-Njigba | $42.15 million | $69 million |
Drake London | $36.26 million | $52.87 million |
Zay Flowers | $35 million | $54 million |
Chris Olave | $31 million | $52.65 million |
The Cowboys lost their chance to sign George Pickens for a lower price
Given the rate at which the market is exploding, $35 million per year may soon be the floor for Pickens' next contract. Of course, that assumes he produces at a similar rate to last season, when he tallied 93 receptions for1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
Dallas plans to move Pickens across the formation far more than last season. Combined with his growing rapport with Prescott, he could easily top his 2025 numbers.
Paying Pickens will make it harder for the Cowboys to balance out the roster. But is that worth losing a player who loves his current environment?
"He just wants to play football," Prescott continued. "So franchise tag or not, it gives him an opportunity to go out there and not only play the game that he loves, but play with a team that has accepted him for who he is and allows him to go be the George that we love.
I think he enjoys being in this environment and being with his teammates and playing for the Dallas Cowboys. So contract or not, you're going to get the best George."
It wasn't a smooth landing, but QB1 got his point across. Pickens just wants to play ball. He possesses an elite ceiling, and the Cowboys remain his best launchpad to reach it. Why let that player out of the building?
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