The Dallas Cowboys are expected to have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL this season, with quarterback Dak Prescott expressing Super Bowl intentions, and with arguably the most dynamic wide receiver room in the league on hand, anchored by CeeDee Lamb and fellow star George Pickens. The pair was brought together after last spring’s trade with the Steelers, and was kept together in free agency this winter when the team put the franchise tag on Pickens.
The Cowboys are set for 2026, then, and can make things work financially. And we may be getting ahead of ourselves but, indeed, there is a looming question of whether the Cowboys can keep the group together after this year, as Pickens will hit free agency again and Dallas would be less likely to use the tag again (though, it should be noted, the team could do so.)
That’s not to take away from the possibilities ahead here in 2026, and Pickens himself has said he is putting contract chatter to the side now. But what happens beyond this year is a concern for others around the team–especially Lamb.
Cowboys’ Pairing of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb Would Top $70 Million
The Cowboys struggled to have top-level WR2s to run alongside Lamb since letting go of Amari Cooper in 2021. Dallas has had the likes of Noah Brown, oft-injured Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert as the No. 2 receiver leading up to the trade for Pickens, which ended the problem and took a lot of pressure off Lamb.
But Lamb knows what is ahead. He is on a contract worth $34 million per year, and the Cowboys would have to pay Pickens more than that to keep him on board. In the end, if the Cowboys are committing $70 million to two receivers, it is going to be very difficult to build the roster elsewhere.
CeeDee Lamb: Cowboys ‘Can Make a Way’
Speaking to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, Lamb was eager for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to figure out the salary cap voodoo to keep Pickens and Lamb aboard for the foreseeable future. Lamb, for what it’s worth, has a contract that runs through 2028 and the Cowboys have already pushed significant money forward on his deal.
“I’m sure we can make a way,” Lamb said. “I know it’s going to be a little crazy, but I know we can make a way for this one. Listen, this is my advocation: ‘@ Jerry, can you please figure out a way? Let’s figure it out. I don’t care what needs to happen.’
“‘Let’s figure it out and it’s going to get you a couple more championships.'”
Jones Not Ruling Out Keeping George Pickens
It’s not impossible. The Bengals, for example, have the very expensive duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the roster, though it should be noted that Cincinnati has had a very poor defense amid their hefty offensive spending. The Cowboys don’t want to become too imbalanced.
Esptein addressed that with Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones, who did not rule out the continuation of the Pickens-Lamb duo.
He said: “Yeah, just you got to tell me the rest [of our spending], too. At some point, you’ve got to figure that out. But no, I think it’s realistic.”
Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Makes Plea to Jerry Jones on George Pickens