FRISCO, Texas — Starting Tuesday, NFL teams can begin placing the franchise tag on players.
For the Dallas Cowboys, it is a certainty that they will use the tag, which figures to be around $27-28 million, on wide receiver George Pickens by the deadline at 4 p.m. ET on March 3.
Since there have been zero discussions to this point on a long-term deal, connecting the dots to the franchise tag is easy to do.
Acquired in May from the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with a 2027 sixth-round pick, for a 2026 third-round and 2027 fifth-round pick, Pickens put up career highs in catches (93), yards (1,429) and touchdowns (nine) last season.
He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time and earned second-team All-Pro honors.
At every turn, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones have said they want Pickens long term. Pickens, too, has said he wants to stay in Dallas. Quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb don’t want him anywhere else, either.
The franchise tag is not desirable for players — despite being fully guaranteed — because there is no long-term security.
Teams say they use it as a stepping-stone to a long-term agreement, although that does not always happen. And since the tag is guaranteed, the entire $28 million will count against the Cowboys’ cap, which chews up a lot of space for a team with numerous needs. A long-term deal would eat up considerably less.
As the tag beckons, here are some frequently asked questions related to the Cowboys and Pickens:
What happens after Pickens is tagged by Dallas?
If Pickens signs the tender right away, he is guaranteed to make at least $28 million in 2026. But it is not likely he signs the tender immediately and gives up even his tiny bit of leverage on a long-term deal. The Cowboys have used the NFL scouting combine as the jumping-off point in most negotiations, so they will likely meet with Pickens’ agents, Trevon Smith and David Mulugheta, on Jones’ luxury bus in Indianapolis.
The deadline that matters, however, is July 15. Without a long-term agreement by then, Pickens would have to play on the tag in 2026. As has become customary with the Cowboys, this could go to the wire if they get down the road at all.
What are the chances of completing a long-term deal?
History is not on that side. The last time the Cowboys worked out a long-term deal with a first-time franchise tag player was receiver Dez Bryant in 2015 when he signed a five-year, $70 million deal that included $45 million guaranteed minutes before the July 15 deadline was about to hit.
The Cowboys were able to put together deals with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and Prescott after they were tagged the second time. Tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Tony Pollard played out the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the franchise tags and left in free agency the following year.
Possibly.
Here’s a quick recap on Parsons: The former Cowboys edge rusher entered 2025 on the fifth-year option. Jones believed he and Parsons worked out an agreement on a deal. Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, balked on the deal, and the sides never really got close after that.
Parsons attended the mandatory minicamp and training camp but did not practice, essentially going through a hold-in. The relationship frayed and, ultimately, Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers a week before the season started.
Mulugheta is one of Pickens’ agents.
Pickens would not be considered a holdout or subject to a fine if he skipped the minicamp and training camp if he did not sign the tender. But if he opts to wait to return until the start of the season, he runs the risk of hurting himself if he doesn’t put up commensurate numbers in 2026, which could impact his ability to get paid in 2027.
Will Jones attempt to negotiate directly with Pickens?
It’s always possible but it’s not as likely as you might think.
Pickens has been a Cowboy for less than a calendar year. He does not have the same relationship with the owner as Parsons, who played for four years with the Cowboys. The players Jones has had a history of talking deals with — Parsons, Prescott, Zack Martin, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, Tony Romo — were drafted and developed by the team.
Jones spent considerable time with them over the years, and that dynamic is not in play with Pickens.
Is it possible to trade him?
Yes. Remember the Cowboys traded two first-round picks in 2000 to the Seattle Seahawks for their franchise player, wide receiver Joey Galloway. For Pickens to be traded before working out a deal with a new team, he would have to sign the franchise tender first, which would give him some control over where he would go.
It’s also possible to rescind the tag. In 2016, the Carolina Panthers rescinded the tag on cornerback Josh Norman before the draft after then-general manager Dave Gettleman came to the conclusion the club would not be able to reach a long-term agreement. Norman signed a five-year deal worth $75 million with Washington.
What would a long-term deal look like?
Large. Very large. But what will be the difference between what Pickens’ representatives will be looking for and how high the Cowboys will be willing to go?
In 2024, they signed Lamb to a four-year, $136 million contract with him set to play that season on his fifth-year option. At the time, his $34 million annual average was second most in the NFL.
It’s now No. 3, with Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase topping the market at $40.25 million.
Can the Cowboys top Lamb’s average? Sure. Would they want to? Lamb produced at a higher level in his first four seasons than Pickens.
Would Pickens be OK being the secondary option to Lamb like Tee Higgins is to Chase? The Bengals signed Higgins last year to a deal worth $28.75 million annually. The Bengals also have quarterback Joe Burrow making $55 million a year.
The Cowboys could tag Pickens again in 2027 at a cost of 120% of the 2026 tag figure. Sticking with $28 million as the figure for 2026, then that would be $33.6 million in 2027. Add up the two tenders and that is $61.6 million. That would appear to be the starting point on a multiyear deal.
Why are the Cowboys the best fit for Pickens?
Pickens put up solid numbers in three seasons with the Steelers despite quarterback issues in Pittsburgh, but he had only one 1,000-yard season and no Pro Bowls. With Prescott, he flourished on the field.
But there’s this too: The questions about him in Pittsburgh — maturity, timeliness — weren’t as much of a problem for the Cowboys. That doesn’t mean those issues disappeared when he arrived in Dallas. Coach Brian Schottenheimer alluded to Pickens still being late to things, and multiple sources said Pickens was fined during the season.
