Cowboys' Jerry Jones may make an unexpected decision about George Pickens

The Dallas Cowboys haven't done much to improve the team in the early stages of free agency.

Team owner Jerry Jones criticized the defense under Matt Eberflus and nearly traded for Maxx Crosby, but that's the only reason they've made headlines recently.

Things have been oddly quiet on the George Pickens front, and the lack of progress sometimes speaks volumes.

Considering that, NFL analyst Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated wouldn't rule out a trade at some point in the near future.

The Cowboys might still trade George Pickens

"On offense, it seems Jerry Jones will take his time working out a long-term extension with George Pickens, sticking to the familiar theme of overpaying his star players," Manzano wrote. "Or maybe Jones trades Pickens before the season, just like he did with Parsons last year. Again, no clue on what this team is doing."

As expected, the Cowboys tagged Pickens before the deadline. He'll make approximately $27.8M guaranteed if he agrees to play under those circumstances, but that's a huge if.

Pickens and the Cowboys have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal. Otherwise, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star is expected to threaten to hold out.

The Cowboys have a long history of rubbing their own players the wrong way by dragging negotiations for way too long and then overpaying at the 11th hour.

That said, given Pickens' reputation and Jerry Jones' less-than-favorable relationship with his agent, David Mulugheta, it may not be wise to put money on Pickens being in Arlington next season, even if that looks like the likeliest scenario right now.