George Pickens: Everything you need to know

Pickens will sign his franchise tag in the coming days, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said this week that the team will not be signing Pickens to a long-term deal this offseason, and once the receiver puts pen to paper on the franchise tag, the team can then trade the wideout. While there has been trade chatter around Pickens, it's unclear if Dallas actually has any intention to make a move after Pickens had a career year in his first season with the Cowboys in 2025, catching 93 of 137 targets for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns across 17 regular-season contests. Dallas may want to see if Pickens can replicate those numbers before committing to him for the long haul.

The Cowboys aren't sure if Pickens will participate in the offseason program after they ended negotiations on a long-term contract, but the team is optimistic he'll sign his franchise tag before Week 1, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports. Pickens likely was hoping for a multi-year deal with a signing bonus larger than his $27.3 million franchise tag. The Cowboys are hoping he'll respond to their direct approach, having informed agent David Mulugheta last week that they don't want to discuss a long-term contract and hope Pickens will play under his tag. For now, Pickens isn't technically under contract and thus can't be fined for missing practices or meetings. If he were to remain unsigned at the start of the regular season, he'd then miss out on $1.52 million each week until he signed and reported to the team. In the meantime, trade rumors are sure to swirl, especially given that this announcement comes on the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft. Pickens would have to sign his franchise tag to facilitate a trade, with any team acquiring him then having until July 15 to hammer out a long-term contract. That said, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones gave the impression that he expects Pickens to eventually sign his tag and play for the team in 2026.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said Wednesday that Pickens will play out 2026 under the franchise tag, with no negotiations toward a long-term deal, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports. It's unusual for a team to make this kind of announcement, especially with nearly three months remaining before the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to negotiate contracts. Pickens hasn't signed his tag and thus can't be fined for missing team activities. The tag is worth $27.3 million, which means he'd miss out on around $1.52 million per week if he declined to sign before the start of the regular season. Pickens hasn't made public comments on the situation, but it's probably safe to say he isn't thrilled.