Are Cowboys considering extending George Pickens before 2025 season? 

On paper, the Dallas Cowboys made their offense better for the 2025 season by acquiring promising wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

However, the fact that Pickens is in the final year of his rookie contract has left some wondering if the Cowboys could lock the 24-year-old down via a multi-year extension before the upcoming campaign gets underway. 

For an article published on Monday, Cowboys reporter Saad Yousuf of The Athletic suggested Dallas and Pickens will both be fine if he plays in a contract year. 

"All signs point to Pickens playing out the final year of his contract without an extension in hand," Yousuf said. "The risk of a one-year rental for a third-round pick may seem steep for the Cowboys, but it’s not as steep as parting ways with the third-round pick and tying up significant money for a player who may not blend in with the locker room culture long term."

Specifically, the Cowboys sent the Steelers a 2026 third-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round selection.

It makes sense that the Cowboys and Pickens would want to punt conversations about a possible contract extension down the road. Last summer, Dallas signed No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136M deal before the club handed quarterback Dak Prescott a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed. Many expect the Cowboys will soon make pass-rusher Micah Parsons happy by giving him the lucrative deal he wants. Thus, the NFC East side has millions of reasons to be in no rush to pay a weapon who hasn't yet played a meaningful down for the organization. 

As for Pickens, he's likely eager to prove he can produce elite numbers while catching passes thrown by Prescott after the 2022 second-round pick recorded 59 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns in his final season with Pittsburgh. Pickens also needs to show he can "grow up" after he caused numerous headaches for Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin over the past two seasons. 

One report claimed that multiple Steelers players "were finally fed up with" Pickens after he was guilty of a "litany of violations" during his Pittsburgh tenure. 

Per DLLS Cowboys, Lamb said while participating in a charity softball game hosted by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray over the weekend that he and Pickens are both No. 1 receivers.

"It ain't no A, B, none of that. It's one," Lamb added, as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "You look over there, you see one. You look over here, you see another one. So do what you gotta do with that."

If Pickens produces a career season with Dallas, either the Cowboys or a different team could pay him like a top-tier receiver come March 2026.