Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer sends warning to NFL about George Pickens after franchise tag decision

While it took Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens a little longer to sign his franchise tag than expected, he eventually did so before April wrapped up. 

Over the weekend, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke like somebody who expects Pickens to remain with the club through at least the start of the 2026 season. 

Brian Schottenheimer: George Pickens' potential is scary for opposing teams

"Where he can continue to go and grow is scary because what he did last year was amazing," Schottenheimer said about Pickens, per Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys' website. "And the more you watch the film, then you see it, and you're just kind of like, 'Whoa.' It's just different. We've got a lot of really good football players, and he's certainly at the top of that list along with some of our other studs."

ESPN stats show that Pickens ended the 2025 regular season ranked eighth in the NFL with 93 receptions, third with 1,429 receiving yards and tied for eighth with nine touchdown catches. While some have wondered if Pickens could still push to be traded this offseason, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted that the 25-year-old signing the tag this spring "suggests that Pickens is all in for 2026."

Cowboys "not surprised" to have a signed George Pickens this spring?

"Was not surprised he signed the tender," Schottenheimer added about Pickens. "The communication with GP along the whole offseason has been great. As you all know, [this portion of the offseason program] is voluntary, but again, I think that at the end of the day, I'm excited to see him when I see him. I'm not sure when that's going to be, but I just know that he knows where he wants to get better and improve. I'm looking forward to seeing him back and around whenever he gets here."

Things often change quickly in the NFL, and Pickens theoretically could stage an unofficial "hold in" and not fully participate in mandatory minicamp practices as a way to protest being on the tag. That said, Schottenheimer's comments indicate that Pickens is serious about featuring for the Cowboys while on the one-year tender worth roughly $27.3M.