It is nice to know that, after his reputation had been sullied early in his career, since coming to the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver George Pickens has completely resuscitated his persona as he heads into free-agency. Gone are the whispers from his Steelers days of Pickens as a locker-room cancer and a frequent tenant of Mike Tomlin’s doghouse. Brian Schottenheimer loves him. His teammates love him. and, certainly, owner Jerry Jones has grown to love Pickens, too.
Pickens has gotten strong support from fellow stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb this week when asked about Pickens’ impending free agency. Prescott vowed to “get involved” if the Cowboys’ talks with Pickens stalled. Lamb vowed to fend off players from other teams trying to recruit his “brother” Pickens, including ex-Cowboys star Micah Parsons.
Ultimately, though, the way Pickens’ free agency will unfold depends on Jones, who will have the option to put the franchise tag (a one-year, $28 million deal) on Pickens this month, with a deadline of March 3.
Cowboys Can Franchise Tag and Still Work on a Contract
And the Cowboys probably will put the tag on Pickens, but should then continue to work on a long-term deal with him. Other teams, too, can talk with Pickens during that time.
If Pickens does not want to play on the tag contract, he can hold out from offseason activities and after back-to-back offseason dramas (Parsons last year, Prescott and Lamb the previous year), it would be wise of the Cowboys to avoid all of that.
Said Prescott: “Whichever way they do it, he’s an important piece of this offense, and an important piece of what we’re trying to do. So, leave it to those guys but obviously, if I need to get involved, I have said it before, I will. But confident in Jerry and everybody who makes those decisions to know how much he means to us.”
GettyOwner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones: George Pickens Is Not ‘Fragile’
But when asked about Pickens’ free agency and the possibility of tagging him, Jones seemed to miss the point–and that’s worrying.
Here’s what he said, via the Dallas Morning News when asked if he was concerned about Pickens’ potential reaction to a franchise tag: “Not any more at all than any other player. No. In fact, my emphasis on feeling good about him off the field, or any of those issues, has to do with me not differentiating him from any of the top player. Obviously, if you franchise somebody, they’re not getting exactly where they want to be. That’s the way that works. Would I be more concerned with him that I would be anybody? The answer is not at all. To me, that’s what we’ve seen and what he’s shown.
“There’s nothing fragile. I’ve heard things that would imply: make me think of the word fragile. There’s nothing fragile about him.”
Cowboys Missing the Point on George Pickens
Putting the franchise tag on Pickens, after a year in which he had the fourth-most yards in a single season in the history of the franchise (1,429), has nothing to do with Pickens being fragile. It does have to do with him getting market value, and as the top overall free agent on the market, putting the tag on Pickens sends the message that the Cowboys don’t respect what he did in 2025 or think he can accomplish it long-term.
Jones’ counter-argument, no doubt, is that the tag is in the CBA and he should thus be allowed to use it. That’s true. But the team should be braced for a negative reaction from Pickens.
Pickens did shrug off the potential use of the tag this week, telling DLLS Cowboys, “I ain’t even thought about that because it’s been, kind of like you said, like some of his money and some of the space that he had, you see what I mean? So, I can just wait on them, that’s all I can do, and chill with the guys.”
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Makes Concerning Statement on George Pickens Franchise Tag