George Pickens to play 2026 season on franchise tag after Cowboys end contract talks

FRISCO, Texas - One of the Cowboys' most dynamic weapons will play the 2026 season on the franchise tag after the team ended long-term contract talks.

No extension for George Pickens

What they're saying:

Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones told reporters at Wednesday's pre-NFL Draft press conference that wide receiver George Pickens will play next season on the franchise tag.

"I think 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. So there won't be negotiations on a long-term deal," Stephen Jones said.

Jones pointed to the idea of paying two wide receivers at the top of the market as a reason for the move. The Cowboys are already paying CeeDee Lamb $34 million a season, which ranks third among NFL wide receivers.

"It's not easy, you know, having two receivers being paid top of the market. I mean 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. Certainly that's part of it."

Pickens and his agent, David Mulugheta, have been informed by the Cowboys of the decision, and that Pickens has yet to sign the franchise tag.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer says he's spoken with Pickens since the decision was made, but wouldn't say if Pickens would attend the team's upcoming OTAs in May.

The backstory:

The Cowboys initially placed the franchise tag on Pickens on Feb. 27. The team used the non-exclusive tag, meaning Pickens can negotiate with other teams on a contract, but the Cowboys have the first right to match.

The $27 million tag is guaranteed if Pickens signs the one-year tender. The Cowboys and Pickens' representatives would have until July 15 to agree on a long-term contract that would replace the one-year deal.

If Pickens were to sign with another team and the Cowboys didn't match the contract, the team signing Pickens would send the equivalent of two first round picks to Dallas.

Should Pickens skip the team's mandatory minicamp in June or training camp in July, he could be subject to fines.

Lamb missed the entire offseason and training camp in 2024, holding out for the deal he signed about two weeks before the season opener.

Dig deeper:

Though Pickens could technically hold out into the 2026 season if he and the Cowboys do not work out a contract, Tommy Yarrish from dallascowboys.com doesn't expect that to happen.

"The last scenario where this happened, which was Leveon Bell, after he was done with the Steelers, and you remember how all that played out. It's difficult to go back to the form of yourself after not playing, essentially, an entire year," Yarrish told FOX 4's Sam Gannon and Jeff Kolb on Free 4 All+.

With the NFL Draft taking place tomorrow, we could get a quick answer on how the Cowboys would prepare for a potential Pickens absence.

"What if they draft a receiver high in the first round? You know, the rest of the process can give us more answers to that question, but the biggest answer is going to come from George Pickens and his representation," Yarrish said.

Pardon the presidential interruption

Wednesday's pre-NFL Draft press conference was crashed by an unexpected guest.

Former President Bill Clinton greeted Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, telling him to "have a good draft day."

Clinton's reason for being in Frisco was unclear.