It is impossible, even now with the clock ticking toward the opening of the NFL’s league year on March 11, to predict where things will head for the Dallas Cowboys and their star wide receiver, George Pickens, whose breakout 2025 season was a blessing for Dallas while the games were rolling, but is a bit of a curse now that he is set for free agency and the team must pay him.
Pickens is expected to get a franchise tag from the Cowboys, which will secure his services for next year. The franchise tag will guarantee the Cowboys pay him $29 million for one year in 2026, unless a long-term contract can be negotiated between the sides. The Cowboys have said that they intend to put the tag on Pickens and would be comfortable having him play under that deal, if a long-term contract can’t be worked out.
But it is doubtful Pickens and his camp would be satisfied with a one-year deal–it’s in the player’s best interest to cash in as much as possible, and to do so sooner rather than later. That should set up some tense negotiations on a long-term Pickens deal.
George Pickens Could Get Into Ja’Marr Chase’s Record Contract Range
Given just how good Pickens was for the Cowboys in 2025–eighth in catches at 93, third in yardage at 1,429, first in yard per reception (for players with 75 catches) at 15.4–while splitting lead receiver duties with CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys analyst Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas says that Pickens and his agents should approach any long-term negotiation by asking for a Ja’Marr Chase-level deal–one that would be an NFL record.
Chase got a four-year, $161 million contract from the Bengals last year.
When Pickens sits down to work out a bigger deal than the tag contract, getting into Chase’s neighborhood should at least be his starting point.
Cowboys Could Be Hit With Surprising Demand
Said Belt of the Pickens vs. Cowboys situation: “I think once they’re out here and they start taking meetings, you’re going to get a sense of where they are. I think $32-33 million sounds roughly fine to me, that’s about where I would expect it to come down. But I also know that if I am his agent, if I am representing George Pickens, I am walking into the negotiation and, as you often ask for more than what you’re willing to settle for, I would walk in there and say, ‘You’re gonna have a hard time showing me a receiver who was better than him last year.’
“If I tapped into it once, I can tap into it again, so, we want $40 million. And I could see that that’s a $40 vs. $30 (million) type of discussion. And then maybe you’re negotiating to $35 (million).”
George Pickens Probably Won’t Participate in Cowboys Offseason Work
It’s hard to say how the Cowboys and the tandem of owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen Jones would react to that level of demand from Pickens. Stephen Jones told reporters this week that the team is comfortable with Pickens playing out the season on the one-year tag contract. He added that he’d expect Pickens to be part of the Cowboys’ offseason program even if he’s on the tag.
But league insider Ian Rapoport, of the NFL Network, said that is just not likely to happen with Pickens’ current agent.
Says Rapoport: “David Mulugheta does not like that tag. He is not a fan. He has had guys who have been on the tag—he does not like it. So, I don’t know what George Pickens is gonna do, I just know, historically, you may not see him for a bit. You want him for the offseason program? Good luck. Because generally those guys do not sign in March. They sign in late August.
“If you tag Pickens and don’t do a deal, it is going to be a while. It’s gonna be a saga.”
Cowboys’ George Pickens Advised to Seek Record-Breaking New Contract