Matt Johnson
The Dallas Cowboys wasted little time this offseason before placing the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, ensuring the All-Pro wideout couldn’t reach the open market. Now the focus has shifted to just how long he’ll be in Dallas and whether or not he’ll hold out this summer.
Regarding he situation, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that he believes there’s a “likelihood” of Pickens eventually signing the one-year franchise tender and playing out the 2026 NFL season as a contrat year.
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After being acquired by Dallas last offseason, Pickens enjoyed a career-best season. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver earned second-team All-Pro honors after setting personal bests in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and touchdowns (nine). He had five 100-yard games and scored a touchdown in eight separate contests.
Pickens, who turned 25 years old early in March, played in all 17 games and largely put concerns about his maturity and consistency behind him. He proved he could produce both as a No. 1 receiver when CeeDee Lamb was sidelined and as a secondary target when his fellow All-Pro wideout was on the field.
Dallas will explore contract talks with him this summer, but that could prove complicated. The Jaxon Smith-Njigba contract extension ($42.15 million average annual value) and the looming extension of Puka Nacua will push the prices for wide receivers even higher.
While Pickens will likely play on the $27.298 million franchise tag, which is fully guaranteed, there’s also an expectation that he could hold out during training camp and the saga could stretch into August. He will almost certainly be suiting up for the Cowboys next season, but there remains a lot of skepticism regarding his long-term future in Dallas.
