George Pickens makes decision on franchise tag with NFL Draft looming
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
George Pickens will sign his $27.3 million franchise tag with the Dallas Cowboys, according to Adam Schefter. That’s after the Cowboys said that they won’t pursue a contract extension before July 15, the deadline to do so for a franchise-tagged player.
After Schefter noted on X that Pickens could be traded at any point as a result, colleague Dan Graziano dropped in an interesting post:
In short, considering when this move happened, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Pickens could be playing elsewhere in 2026. But his contract demands — along with his attitude issues — were the reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers shipped him to Dallas for a third- and fifth-round pick as he entered the final year of his rookie contract. It ended up being a terrific statistical season as he registered a career-best 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns as Dak Prescott’s primary target.
It will be interesting to see how this progresses. Keeping in mind that Jerry Jones has notoriously played hardball over contract negotiations in the past (see Micah Parsons), Pickens donning the iconic star logo in 2026 is far from a given.
Or, as Graziano noted, the former Georgia star could just pocket the $27.3 million for now in hopes that a long-term deal is ultimately reached.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
