It's certainly no secret that one of the biggest decisions the Dallas Cowboys have to make this offseason is whether to bring back George Pickens or let the Pro Bowl wideout (and Pro Bowl offensive MVP) waltz into free agency.
Now, not everybody was thrilled when America's Team acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers last May, as the former Georgia Bulldog had some well-documented behavioral issues during his three-year run in the Steel City.
But unless there were some behind-the-scenes problems that were never made public, Pickens appeared to be the model teammate during the Cowboys' 2025 season. And his production, of course, was nothing short of extraordinary, as the 24-year-old, in addition to his first Pro Bowl selection, also earned a Second-Team All-Pro nod after setting new career-highs across the board with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards with nine touchdowns.
Pickens has expressed his desire to return to Dallas, and Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have made it known on several occasions that they want him back, with Lamb even going so far as to say that he doesn't care if Pickens ends up making more money than he does.
But Lamb isn't the only famous No. 88 with an opinion, as Cowboys legend and three-time Super Bowl champion Michael Irvin has now weighed in on the matter as well, saying that Jerry Jones needs to do everything in his power not to let Pickens get away.
Michael Irvin says the Dallas Cowboys must re-sign George Pickens before training camp
Making the media rounds ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl 60 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, Irvin discussed the state of the franchise for which he played a dozen seasons with Bleacher Report's Scott Polacek and made it crystal clear that he believes Pickens should be the Cowboys' top priority this offseason.
"I was just with Coach Schottenheimer for dinner the other night talking about what we need going forward," Irvin said. "I love where they're at offensively. We saw the makings of a real potent offense. Now what we have to do is solidify that with more consistency.
"The No. 1 thing for Jerry Jones, and I'm going to make sure he understands it, is you've got to get George Pickens signed and in camp so they can start off with one mindset with everybody aligned and everybody ready. And then take these resources that you got from the Micah Parsons situation to add to those two defensive tackles to attack the middle of the offense. You do that, then you've got a chance to be in this game next year."
Not only does Irvin want the Cowboys to re-sign Pickens, but he also underlined the importance of Pickens signing before training camp. That's the big question Jerry Jones must answer in addition to simply getting a deal done. That part should be easy.
2026 is shaping up to be one of Dallas' biggest seasons in recent memory. The last thing the team needs is Pickens starting slow because he missed all of camp waiting for a serious contract offer.
Regardless, though, you have to love how passionate Irvin is about his former team after all these years—make that his former teams, as the Miami Hurricanes certainly got all the passion Irvin had to offer during their run to the CFP title game.
But getting back to the Cowboys, there are obviously two ways Jones can bring Pickens back for the 2026 season, the first being the franchise tag, which would cost roughly $28 million for one season, and the second being a multiyear extension, which could cost upward of $30 million per year.
Jones recently said that he was "looking forward to getting things worked out so George can be a Cowboy a long time." But Dallas fans have heard statements like that before, only to watch things like the Parsons trade happen.
Perhaps Michael Irvin's vow to "make sure he understands" how important Pickens is will result in a different outcome.