Why Cowboys made risky George Pickens decision ahead of NFL Draft

Shortly after it was reported that the Dallas Cowboys and wide receiver George Pickens were not close to agreeing to terms for a contract extension, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed that the club will be keeping Pickens on the franchise tag for the 2026 campaign and won't negotiate a long-term deal with the player's camp this offseason. 

On Wednesday night, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained the Cowboys' handling of what could become a difficult situation for the organization. 

Why Cowboys are keeping George Pickens on the franchise tag

According to Breer, the Cowboys keeping Pickens on the tag "was always the likely conclusion" to this saga for at least the 2026 season. 

"I can’t blame the team on this one," Breer wrote. "Pickens had maturity questions going into the 2022 draft, and only validated those through a bumpy three-year run in Pittsburgh. So that Dallas would want to get a longer look to be sure he’s truly changed before committing more than $40M per year to him makes sense."

Pickens allegedly committed a "litany of violations" while with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2022-24. While Pickens produced the best numbers of his career with the Cowboys this past season -- 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns -- he was benched for an offensive series of a November 2025 game after he reportedly missed a team bus. A subsequent report revealed that the Cowboys fined Pickens at least once for "being late to things," and he was accused of running lazy routes by analysts and fans during one outing. 

Why Cowboys may not be afraid of how George Pickens will react to being on the franchise tag

ESPN's Adam Schefter said that there were not "a lot of teams" willing to give the Steelers anything of note for Pickens last year before Dallas acquired the 25-year-old from Pittsburgh. This time around, a team would have to give the Cowboys something of value for Pickens and also sign him to an extension to make such a trade worth it for the buying club. 

Earlier this offseason, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks reset the market for players at the position when he signed a four-year, $168.6M deal that included $120M guaranteed. 

"He loves it here," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said about Pickens, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. "...I expect that he’ll be around. I really do. The one thing that I love about George is George likes honesty, and that’s who we are. That’s not just because his name is George Pickens and he’s a great player. We do that to undrafted free agents, and that gives you the best chance to make sure you’re all on the same page." 

Pickens has not yet signed his franchise tag tender. It remains to be seen how long he'll stay away from the Cowboys amid a perceived protest related to the fact that he won't receive a multiyear contract from his current employer anytime soon.