We’ve known, pretty much since the back-to-back 140-yard games in November that the Dallas Cowboys were going to place the $29 million franchise tag on breakout star receiver George Pickens at some point before the league’s March 3 deadline. Statements from Cowboys decision-makers–owner Jerry Jones and son, Stephen Jones–made that clear as well. Heading into this week, the Pickens tag was just a matter of when, not if.
Well, now we know when.
According to a report from Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, the Pickens tag will come on Friday, February 27, as the NFL draft combine is still rolling.
Writes Epstein early on Friday morning: “The Dallas Cowboys plan to place the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens on Friday, two people with knowledge of the decision confirmed to Yahoo Sports on Thursday night.”
George Pickens Franchise Tag Is the Right Starting Move
It is certainly a prudent move for the Cowboys as Pickens heads into free agency. The franchise tag keeps Pickens under Cowboys control for the coming season on a one-year deal, and all but guarantees (barring a rare tag-and-trade move) that Pickens will be in Dallas in 2026.
The next big question is whether Pickens and the Cowboys can work out a long-term extension. There is incentive on both sides to do that. Pickens obviously wants to cash in on a career year in which he tallied 1,429 yards receiving, third in the NFL last year and fourth on the Cowboys’ all-time list.
The Cowboys could sign Pickens to a long-term deal now and use the front end of that deal to push down his 2026 payout. That would create more cap space that could be used to fix a league-worst defense and turn the Cowboys into potential Super Bowl contenders.
Cowboys Risk Offseason ‘Saga’
But the Cowboys have incentive to keep Pickens on a one-year deal, too. That would protect the team from a possible injury to Pickens, as well as give him incentive to repeat the star turn he took last year, after his first three season in Pittsburgh were underwhelming and pocked with concerns about attitude and work ethic.
There’s a concern that Pickens was a one-hit wonder in 2025, driven by his impending free agency. Making him prove it is not a fluke is an obvious benefit for the team.
However, if the Cowboys play hard ball with Pickens and keep him on the tag without a new deal, there is the possibility that he sits out the team’s offseason program, which might be problematic.
Here’s what NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said this week about Pickens and his agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First:
“David Mulugheta does not like that tag. He is not a fan. He has had guys who have been on the tag—he does not like it. So, I don’t know what George Pickens is gonna do, I just know, historically, you may not see him for a bit. You want him for the offseason program? Good luck. Because generally those guys do not sign in March. They sign in late August.
“If you tag Pickens and don’t do a deal, it is going to be a while. It’s gonna be a saga.”
Cowboys Have Big Plans for George Pickens in 2026
The Cowboys have had sagas each of the past two offseasons as they signed Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in 2024 and tried to sign Micah Parsons (a Mulugheta client) last summer. Both of those summers seemed to get the Cowboys off on the wrong foot and, it could be argued, had an impact on the regular season.
On Thursday, coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke with reporters and, as is his wont, attempted to remain positive. He talked about using Pickens in motion more, and generally moving him around on the line of scrimmage. But he was the offensive coordinator when the team dealt with the Prescott-Lamb issue, and he is resigned to the contract talks going however they’re going to go.
“This is going to play out the way it’s supposed to play out,” Schottenheimer said on Thursday. “GP loves football, and my relationship with GP doesn’t change, just like it didn’t change with CeeDee and Dak and guys who were going through certain things. It’s all part of the process, it’s the business side of it. I was talking to CeeDee last night. So, it doesn’t change.”
