George Pickens' likely plan is a major win for the Cowboys

Somehow, someway, the Dallas Cowboys got George Pickens to sign his franchise tag tender.

Now, the former second-round pick is looking at a one-year payout of $27.3 million, which is significantly less than what he could've gotten with a new contract.

More than that, the Cowboys have officially put him in a tough spot, as they now hold all the leverage in this situation.

As explained by Tom Pelissero on "The Rich Eisen Show," Pickens will now have to show up to play or risk losing even more money. 

The Cowboys hold all the leverage over George Pickens

"By signing it, you’ve locked in. Your worst-case scenario is you make $27.3 million for one season, and then they’re either tagging you again in 2027 for like $33 million or you hit the free-agent market — or, of course, you could work out a contract with them in the meantime," Pelissero explained.

Pickens could still threaten to hold out or make life uncomfortable in Arlington. Nevertheless, that would only lead to fines and leaving even more money on the table.

"The downside from some players' perspective would be, well now, if you don’t show up for minicamp or training camp, you’re going to have to pay fines, you’re going to lose money," added Pelissero. "...But for George Pickens, he was probably showing up rather than giving away any sizable chunks of money in training camp anyway."

The Cowboys have been up front about their reluctance to engage in talks about a long-term deal, and there seemingly haven't been any offers from other teams looking to trade for him.

From a football perspective, however, there's no doubt that Pickens would be a massive upgrade for most teams' wide receiver corps.

The production and talent are more than evident, and perhaps a desperate team will be willing to make a Godfather-like offer if one of their starters gets hurt.

It was somewhat surprising to see Pickens just cave and sign the tender when he could've dragged this situation out and end up with more money, so this might not be the end of this saga.