The Dallas Cowboys placed their franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens in March. They weren’t eager then to negotiate a multi-year extension before the July 15 deadline, and they announced Wednesday they will not be negotiating anymore before the NFL’s deadline for 2026 franchise-tagged players to receive multiyear deals.
Pickens will instead play the 2026 season under the $27.3 million franchise tag, executive vice president Stephen Jones said.
“We’ve made a decision that we’re going to have George play under the franchise tag, which won’t be a first for us,” Jones said at the club’s pre-draft news conference. “So there won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal. But that’s certainly not a first for this organization and certainly won’t be a first for the league in terms of this decision as we move forward.”
Quarterback Dak Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Tony Pollard have each played under the franchise tag in the last decade for Dallas. Prescott and Lawrence each received extensions with the franchise after playing out a tag.
Leaving a player of Pickens’ talent and recent production on the tag is not how many teams would do business. But the Cowboys traded for Pickens only last May and want a larger sample size of his production and off-field leadership.
They have informed Pickens and his agent, David Mulugheta, Stephen Jones said. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke with Pickens, who has thrown with Prescott this offseason.
“He loves it here,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re thrilled with what he did. We’re looking forward to another great year. What was really cool for me in our conversations with him is him talking about taking the next step as a leader. The influence he has on this locker room is very powerful because he loves playing football so much.
“That’s what we love about George.”
Pickens led the Cowboys with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns last season while playing opposite CeeDee Lamb, who caught 75 passes for 1,077 yards and three scores (Lamb missed three-plus games due to injury).
The Cowboys acquired Pickens for a 2026 third-round draft pick, and swap of 2027 fifth- and sixth-rounders, after Pickens’ production declined in Pittsburgh and his behavioral questions increased. The Steelers selected Pickens in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
In three seasons with the Steelers, Pickens averaged 59.2 yards per game compared to his 84.1 per game in his initial Cowboys year. He caught 12 touchdowns in 48 games in Pittsburgh compared to nine in 17 games with Dallas. Pickens also had his most reliable catch season in Year 1 with Prescott, catching 67.4% of targets, up from 59.4% in Pittsburgh.
The Cowboys said they’re not concerned about Pickens’ attendance at offseason programs impacting their 2026 performance.
“We won’t let it,” Schottenheimer said. “Dak Prescott won’t let it. The leadership of all our guys, including George, they want to be great. They know our goals. They know where we’re going.
“The work will get done.”.
Jerry Jones and Schottenheimer met with Pickens to tell him they would not continue negotiating before the deadline, Stephen Jones said. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones also spoke over the phone with Mulugheta last week, a notable change from when they did not speak directly to him in what eventually became a trade of Mulugheta client Micah Parsons.
“It went real well,” Stephen Jones said of their call with Mulugheta. “Super cordial. Obviously he can speak to it as well but it was very cordial. Call went on for 5-10 minutes and it was very productive, I thought.”
Stephen Jones said they wanted to be “upfront” and “honest” with player and client about their interest in imminent negotiations.
In addition to wanting more time with Pickens before considering a long-term extension, the Cowboys hesitate to award their 2025 Pro Bowler top-of-market money given how much of their salary cap is already tied up in Prescott and Lamb.
Prescott’s $60 million per year extension has held its spot as the most expensive annual salary in NFL history since he signed it hours before the season opener in September 2024. He’s scheduled to count $43.5 million against the Cowboys’ 2026 cap and $76 million against their 2027 accounting (cap numbers can be restructured).
Lamb, whose contract averages $34 million per year, is currently scheduled to count $19.8 million against the 2026 cap and $46.25 million against the 2027 cap.
Franchise tag values count fully toward the year they’re awarded, so Pickens’ $27.3 million cap hit currently slots as the second-most expensive for Dallas ahead of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams’ $21.6 million.
“It’s not easy having two receivers be paid top of the market,” Stephen Jones said. “That’s obviously a stretch, especially when you have other great players on your team, a quarterback that’s been here being the highest-paid player in this league for many years now.”
“George has done an amazing job. He’s exceeded all expectations. … But that’s the biggest part of it, between the business and the newness of [him here].”
Pickens has yet to sign his franchise tag, and the Cowboys have no assurances he’ll attend offseason programs. Most of the offseason program is voluntary, and Pickens cannot be fined for missing the mandatory veteran minicamp in June if he has not signed his tag.
Teams cannot award multi-year deals to franchise-tagged players after the July 15 deadline. But teams can technically rework the value of the one-year deal after July 15.
After running back Josh Jacobs missed offseason activities and training camp practices in 2023 when he didn’t sign the tag, he and the Raiders ultimately agreed to a reworked deal that could reach up to $12 million with incentives rather than the $10.091 million franchise tag cost that year.
Running back Saquon Barkley also signed an adjusted contract that year, agreeing to a tag with a $2 million signing bonus and incentives just before training camp began in late July.
Without Pickens under contract after 2026, expect the Cowboys to consider drafting a receiver as early as Thursday night, when Dallas holds the 12th and 20th overall draft picks.
In 2020, the Cowboys eschewed their far-more-dire defensive needs to select Lamb 17th overall when they were surprised a weapon of his caliber was still available. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones reiterated Wednesday that a similar scenario could unfold Thursday.
“Given the right circumstances, we’ll go offense even though [there are] more questions on the defensive side of the ball right now,” Jerry Jones said.
Stephen Jones agreed.
“It’s just like we did when we took CeeDee Lamb: We had some really good receivers on this team but we took him,” Stephen Jones said. “It’ll be no different as we look at the board and our number gets called to pick.
“We’re certainly not opposed to taking the best player on our board. That’s usually where we’ve had our most success.”