When the Dallas Cowboys originally traded for wide receiver George Pickens, no one could have predicted the season that followed. Pickens went on to set career highs in all major categories this year, and now, Dallas has quite an offseason decision ahead of themselves.
Pickens, of course, is a free agent this coming offseason.
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones chimed in on the impending free agency of Pickens and how they are going to handle contract negotiations. Asked whether the talks will be with his agent, David Mulugheta, or Pickens, or a combination of both, Jones answered candidly.
"I don't know. We'll see how it goes. Probably both, but I certainly expect to be speaking with George."
Hopefully, this is a positive.
Jerry Jones sounds like he is going to be involved in directly negotiating with George Pickens himself
If Cowboys fans were being honest with themselves, they'd know that this could go one of two ways. We are talking about the guy who apparently didn't speak to Micah Parsons for months, after all. So, let's hope he follows through on making contract negotiations more personal.
Jones is assuring us that he will end up speaking with Pickens, personally, which should be a good thing. Everything Jones has said this season, in regards to the Cowboys' star wide receiver, has been indicative of a man who is going to re-sign Pickens.
Now, most of us would have believed Jones had valued Parsons a whole lot more than the level he actually did. But, it turns out, he didn't.
And, even though CeeDee Lamb is locked up on a long-term deal, now, the vibes weren't always good. It took Jones a lot longer than it should have to get that deal done. We remember it well.
So, hearing Jerry talk highly about Pickens and even insinuate that he's going to have individual conversations with him might sound nice and fluffy right now. But, when the offseason officially hits, what will the truth reveal?
In the end, this is a huge decision. Fans know that the offensive side of the ball is not the issue. Dallas needs to spend a lot of their finances and draft capital on defense, so committing a large sum of money to Pickens would significantly hamper one of their resource categories.
You'd think it would be a slam dunk to bring Pickens back, but there are a lot of factors at play. Ideally, Pickens, Jones and all folks involved can come to a healthy agreement that also allows Dallas to address other pertinent needs.