Cowboys' Stephen Jones sends message to George Pickens with franchise tag looming

An update from ahead of this past weekend suggested that Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens could stay away from the team for at least portions of the offseason program if the Cowboys use the franchise tag to retain his rights for 2026 before the March 3 deadline to do so arrives. 

On Sunday, Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones spoke with Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News about the team's expectations regarding how Pickens will handle likely being tagged.

Cowboys want George Pickens working with team under the franchise tag

"We always want guys here," Jones explained. "We’ve franchised players before. Obviously, we want him here working with the team. It will work itself out in the coming weeks."

The Cowboys acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers last spring after he reportedly caused the Steelers all kinds of headaches over the first three seasons of his pro career. According to ESPN stats, Pickens then ended his first campaign with Dallas ranked third in the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards, eighth with 93 receptions and tied for eighth with nine touchdown catches. 

However, some have suggested that the Jones family shouldn't commit guaranteed money to Pickens beyond the 2026 season after he was reportedly fined for "being late to things" during this past campaign and was benched for an offensive series due to disciplinary reasons. 

Back in August 2024, the Cowboys and No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb agreed to a four-year, $136M deal. Lamb has hinted that he wouldn't have a problem if he were no longer the highest-paid player at the position on the Dallas roster if such a scenario allowed the Cowboys to hold onto Pickens and make the 24-year-old happy this offseason. 

When could Cowboys, George Pickens come to terms on a deal?

"If the Cowboys place the franchise tag on Pickens, it’s projected at $28M," Watkins added. "Team officials plan on speaking with Pickens’ agents at the NFL scouting combine this week."

Whether or not the Cowboys are willing to match Pickens' contract requests as soon as later this week could determine how he feels about showing up for voluntary portions of the offseason program. Multiple reports have suggested he wants to earn at least $30M per season while on his next contract.