The Dallas Cowboys‘ biggest offseason question, beyond finding a way to sort out the defense and finally get some sort of Micah Parsons replacement – even if it is just in the aggregate – will concern what to do with free agent wideout, George Pickens.
Pickens’ 1,400+ yard, 9 touchdown season that saw him find his way to second team All-Pro recognition was probably in the 99th percentile of best case scenarios that Dallas could have hoped for when they gave up a third rounder to the Pittsburgh Steelers for his services last summer.
Now, the team have the subsequent problem of finding a way to return him on a roster that is already projected to be $31.5 million over the salary cap in 2026, according to Spotrac. The team have two realistic options if they want to keep him around.
1.) Extend his deal and make the salary number low in 2026 to minimize the short-term cap impact. Or 2.) apply the $28 million franchise tag in 2026, giving them time to figure out a longer term solution.
Cowboys Could Make a Surprising Decision on Pickens’ Future
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on NFL Game Day on February 8 that it was essentially a given that the team would choose option 2 at this point in time, which in theory makes sense, as the one year deal amount is far lower than the average yearly pay (APY) for the highest-paid wide receivers in the league at this moment.
On the tag, Pickens would rank somewhere between the 11th and 13th most paid wideout in the league, whereas he will likely be looking to, at the minimum, crack the top five in a long-term extension.
So Rapoport floats another option that he believes is realistic for the Cowboys – tag and then trade Pickens.
Trading Pickens Provides ‘Really Good Value’ For Cowboys
Rapoport contends that the tag and trade scenario is both very much on the table for Dallas, and could provide them with excellent value.
“Obviously the Cowboys are going to franchise tag him, something we’ve known for quite some time, but that does not necessarily meant that George Pickens is going to stay in Dallas. My understanding is that a tag-and-trade scenario is considered to be a possibility for Dallas.” Rapoport said on NFL Game Day.
“Actually the value would make some sense here: traded for him for a third round pick, maybe let’s say they could get a second rounder…that would be really good value for Dallas.”
Rapoport then notes that then another team – one with more cap flexibility – would be able to swoop in and give Pickens the longer term extension he desires and has warranted – noting as well that Dallas has not been afraid of making front-page trades like this in the past.
“The Cowboys have shown a willingness to trade their stars for significant draft pick compensation.” Rapoport closed with, referring most obviously to the Micah Parsons deal that sent the All-Pro edge rusher to the Green Bay Packers for two first round picks and Kenny Clark in August 2025.
NFL Insider Delivers Curveball on Cowboys’ George Pickens Plans