The Dallas Cowboys are looking to rebound from a disappointing season in which they seemed to have a chance at the postseason, only to watch it slip away.
They made several big moves before and during their season, with the most significant being their trading away defensive star Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. However, the team kept its offensive core mostly intact with quarterback Dak Prescott alongside receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Pickens was one of the bright spots for the team this past season, and his impressive performance raised concerns with Cowboys fans about whether another team might try to acquire him for next season. He entered this offseason as an unrestricted free agent, setting up a potential dispute over his contract.
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However, it seems fans can rest assured that the team intends to keep Pickens on its roster. According to NFL.com’s Judy Batista, Stephen Jones indicated that the team plans to finalize the franchise tag on their star receiver.
“We think the world of him. We want him here,” Jones said in comments reported by Batista.
That said, Jones didn’t have a timeline for getting a deal done with Pickens. The Cowboys star topped all receivers on the roster last season with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also the most targeted receiver by the team’s quarterbacks, mainly Prescott, throughout the season.
In May of last year, Dallas acquired Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick in a trade with his previous team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. In exchange, Dallas sent Pittsburgh a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Pickens had a base salary of $3,656,000 with the Cowboys last season, with a cap hit of $3,658,205, per Spotrac information.
His stellar season with the Dallas Cowboys earned him a spot in the NFL Pro Bowl, where he went on to win the Offensive MVP award for his performance in the annual game.
While the team has tagged him, it could become an interesting situation for Pickens. A report from KCCR (citing Fox Sports) suggests that he may decide to skip the team’s offseason and hold out for the sort of contract and salary he wants with the Cowboys.
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