George Pickens has reportedly made final decision about Cowboys' mandatory minicamp

A recent update suggested that Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens could stay away from the team for its mandatory minicamp, which gets underway on Tuesday. This is amid an apparent protest over the fact that he is expected to remain on the franchise tag worth roughly $27.3M for the 2026 season. 

On Monday morning, Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill of DLLS Sport shared a massive update regarding Pickens' plans for this week. 

Will George Pickens show up for the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp?

According to Hill, "Pickens plans to be at" the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp. It's not all that shocking a development, as Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and quarterback Dak Prescott sounded confident last week that Pickens would at least report for the mandatory sessions. That said, Pickens may not complete all that much on-the-field work after he did not participate in voluntary portions of the club's offseason program.

Why George Pickens reporting for mandatory minicamp was always likely

The Cowboys have made it clear throughout the spring that Pickens will not receive a multiyear contract extension before the deadline for teams to sign tagged players to such deals arrives on July 15. That said, it's assumed Pickens understood the reality of his situation when he signed his franchise tag. 

Had Pickens left the tag unsigned, he could have skipped mandatory minicamp without receiving any kind of punishment from the team. He could now be fined a total of $107,911 if he fails to report for all of minicamp. 

"Pickens didn’t sign the tag just so the Cowboys could deduct some money from his salary, so he’ll be there so he doesn’t get fined," Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk explained. "Pickens is coming off a strong season in Dallas and could still work out a long-term contract with the Cowboys that would give him more long-term security but also allow the Cowboys to reduce this year’s $27.3M cap hit. The Cowboys and Pickens have until one month from today to reach a long-term agreement, or else Pickens will play this year under the one-year deal and become a free agent again in 2027." 

It remains to be seen what Pickens will say about his contract situation, if anything at all, once Cowboys players begin speaking with media members during the team's minicamp.