After a breakout season, the Dallas Cowboys expressed their desire to keep wide receiver George Pickens around for another year. But they won’t sign him to a long-term deal.
On Wednesday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters that Pickens will be playing on the franchise tag this season.
Jones, the son of owner Jerry Jones, added that there ‘won’t be negotiations on a long term deal.’
Pickens, who was traded to the Cowboys in the 2025 offseason from the Pittsburgh Steelers, has yet to sign the franchise tag.
Jones noted that Pickens has not yet shown up for the Cowboys’ offseason program and has ‘no assurances as to when or if’ he will make it to training, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
When – or if – he does, then he’ll be paid $27.3million for a single season’s worth of work.
The Dallas Cowboys intend to keep wideout George Pickens with the team on a franchise tag
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones (R), son of team owner Jerry Jones (L) says that the team has no plans to negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens – who has yet to agree to the tag deal
Pickens (R) formed a strong partnership with CeeDee Lamb (L) but missed out on the playoffs
Pickens put up career-best numbers with the Cowboys and is rightfully looking for a major pay day.
But with Jones dead-set on not signing him to a long-term deal, it’s possible that Pickens could hold out to force the Cowboys to the negotiating table.
Those negotiations could result in Pickens working out a deal. But it could also force the Cowboys to trade the wide receiver if he refuses to sign the tag.
This stalemate comes days after the Cowboys made Brandon Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in NFL history with a four-year, $28million deal.
Last season, Pickens was the third-best receiver in football – hauling in 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
He formed a strong partnership with fellow pass catcher CeeDee Lamb, but wasn’t able to help the Cowboys get to the playoffs.
