George Pickens sends Cowboys clear message after contract talks report

A Monday report revealed that the Dallas Cowboys and wide receiver George Pickens "have not held any contract talks" since Dallas' season came to an end in early January. 

Later on Monday, Pickens made it known he "would love to" stay with the Cowboys. That said, it sounds like he won't be offering his current employer much of a hometown discount this winter. 

George Pickens knows he increased his worth after a stellar season

"I feel like, if anything, it went up," Pickens said about his value, per Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys' website. "But me personally, my value is just a playmaker type of guy. I feel like any team or wherever I play, I can be playing in Canada, I just want them to know that I'm definitely a playmaker."

Pickens showed he can be a true playmaker for a contending team when he finished the regular season ranked eighth in the NFL with 93 receptions and third with 1,429 receiving yards, according to ESPN stats. While he contributed nine touchdown receptions over 17 games, he also gave the Cowboys reasons to fear that some of the issues the Pittsburgh Steelers dealt with during his tenure with that club (2022-24) could cause problems for Dallas in the future. 

Specifically, Pickens was reportedly fined for being late on more than one occasion this season. He was benched for Dallas' first offensive series in Week 11 after he allegedly missed the team bus, and some accused him of running lazy routes in the Cowboys' Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions. 

On Monday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News shared that "it’s doubtful Pickens would be in favor of reporting to training camp in late July, or even some parts of the offseason program" if the Cowboys used the franchise tag to retain the 24-year-old's rights. When asked about the tag later in the day, Pickens suggested he is "willing to do anything" to stay with the club. 

George Pickens confirms report about contract talks

"No, not me personally," Pickens said when asked if he had spoken directly with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones about an extension. "Definitely probably my agent. He doesn't tell me who he calls all the time, so definitely just kind of wait it out and hope for the best."

Pickens added that he wants to put pen to paper on "the ultimate best deal when it helps everybody." It remains to be seen if such a scenario could involve Pickens playing on the one-year franchise tag projected to be worth around $28.8M if the Cowboys use that option.