The 2026 NFL Combine has arrived, and with it should come plenty of insight into the Dallas Cowboys' negotiations with star wide receiver George Pickens.
Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones met with the media on Monday and dropped a ton of information about what will be a franchise-defining offseason.
Jones confirmed that the team will franchise tag Pickens and left no doubt that the 24-year-old will be playing in Dallas in 2026. Whether that is on the tag or a lucrative new contract remains to be seen, but the Joneses seem like they want to sign Pickens to a long-term deal.
Of course, tagging Pickens runs the risk of him skipping some portions of the offseason program and potentially the start of training camp. When that possibility was raised, Jones sent a Dak Prescott-coded message to the All-Pro (h/t to The Athletic's Jon Machota).
“A lot of guys we’ve tagged participated in everything, (with) Dak (Prescott) leading the way. He played under 2 of them. He never missed anything. Hopefully, that will be the case here.”
Stephen Jones wants Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens to participate in the offseason program
When it comes to leadership and being a teammate, Prescott is the standard. He hasn't let contract negotiations interfere with showing up to OTAs and training camp, even though the front office made things markedly more difficult than they needed to be.
The Cowboys notoriously tagged Prescott twice in 2020 and 2021, though the latter tag was swiftly followed by the two sides agreeing to a four-year, $160 million extension just one day later.
The 2024 offseason was completely different story.
Prescott was a full participant from start to finish, even though he didn’t sign his four-year, $240 million extension until the morning of Dallas’ Week 1 game. The Joneses completely overplayed their hand by waiting, and Prescott took them to the cleaners.
That said, Prescott’s situation isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison with Pickens’. CeeDee Lamb is the closer parallel, as he sat out most of the 2024 offseason program and nearly all of training camp before inking his four-year, $136 million extension.
Even then, though, the circumstances were different. The Cowboys never questioned Lamb’s character or maturity, and there was never any real doubt that they would pay him.
Pickens could make the Joneses eat their words by showing up to OTAs, but he's also probably thinking, 'What more do I have to do to get paid?' after his monster 2025 season.
The Cowboys may want Pickens to prove it again in 2026 before committing long-term. If he delivers another monster, distraction-free campaign without the security of a new deal, paying him won’t be an issue. The gamble, of course, is that waiting could strain the relationship and drive his price even higher.
The cleanest solution is the simplest one: pay Pickens what he deserves and move forward.
But it's never that simple with this team.