It would be easy, after having put up one of the great seasons in Dallas Cowboys receiver history, for George Pickens to wallow in bitterness that he did not get the contract he feels he deserves from his new team. Pickens went for 93 catches and 1,426 yards last season, significantly higher than his previous career totals, and in doing so, put to rest questions about his attitude and work habits that had arisen via his previous employer, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For the first three seasons of his career, Pickens was seen as a problem in Pittsburgh, and was not widely viewed as a competent every day player, let alone as a potential WR1 in a lot of situations. But one year with the Cowboys, one year with ever-bubbly coach Brian Schottenheimer pumping his tires, one year with Dak Prescott slinging him passes, one year with CeeDee Lamb as his friend/mentor and quite suddenly, Pickens’ fortunes have turned.
Still, he did not get the big payday that he might have expected, with some on the DLLS Cowboys podcast putting him into Jaxon Smith-Njigba range (four years, $168 million). It was feared that Pickens would hold out because of it.
George Pickens Transformed Into a WR1
But maybe it’s all just part of the journey. A year ago, no one saw Pickens as a $40 million per year option. No one even saw him as a $20 million per year option. Now, Pickens has gotten a franchise tag, which he’s signed, worth $27.3 million from the Cowboys, and while many are speculating that Pickens might protest that deal in search of a longer-term and bigger payout, legendary Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin has a different take. Pickens should be grateful.
Irvin blamed the media for overinflating Pickens’ value and said that the key for Pickens is not to compare himself to players like Smith-Njigba or even Lamb. It’s to compare where he was 11 months ago to where he is now.
Cowboys Tag Contract ‘Not a Bad Deal’
Irvin framed the George Pickens situation on that DLLS Cowboys podcast episode, out this week, by saying that the important thing is not for Pickens to compare himself to the other seven or eight top receivers in the NFL. It’s to compare where George Pickens was to where George Pickens is.
Irvin said: “Let’s not look at this as, they didn’t want to pay me money. Let’s look at this as, last year I had a team that didn’t want to give me anything. They let me go. Right now, I got a team that is willing to say, ‘I will give you $30 million a year deal right now,’ that’s not a bad deal.
“When you look at where you stand and where you started—and he needed to see this. And not let those people in this microphone and the people speaking into this microphone inflate a number we never would have been able to reach. We may have a peaceful offseason that will give us a peaceful preseason that can give us a real damn good season.”
Cowboys Legend Delivers Reality Check to George Pickens