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FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys did what they were long expected to Friday, placing the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens to secure his rights at least through 2026, the team announced Friday.
The tag will guarantees Pickens at least $28 million with Dallas in 2026, but working out a long-term deal remains a possibility. The two sides have until July 15 to sign a long-term contract or, by NFL rule, the player will play on the one-year deal or choose to hold out.
The team used the nonexclusive designation on Pickens, sources told ESPN, which allows him to talk to other teams when free agency begins March 11. Should Pickens sign an offer sheet with another team, the Cowboys will have the right to match the offer or decline to do so and receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.
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The Cowboys met with Pickens' representatives Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. The talks were described as more general than in-depth.
Earlier in the week, executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys were "leaning" toward using the tag on Pickens. Asked Thursday whether Pickens could be a Cowboy for the long term, coach Brian Schottenheimer said, "I hope so."
Pickens' first season with the Cowboys could not have gone better.
Acquired along with a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection, Pickens put up career highs in catches (93), yards (1,429) and touchdowns (nine) while playing every game, being named to the Pro Bowl for the first time and earning second-team All-Pro honors.
Pickens, 24, had five games with more than 100 yards receiving, including two that came when CeeDee Lamb was out of the lineup because of a high ankle sprain. Pickens set a franchise record with five games of at least 130 yards receiving and a touchdown catch.
His 13 catches of at least 25 yards and 73 first-down receptions ranked in the top five in the NFL.
He and Dak Prescott had an instant chemistry in their first season, much like Prescott developed with Lamb and former Pro Bowler Amari Cooper.
Keeping Pickens on a long-term deal could be dicey.
The Cowboys signed Lamb to an extension in 2024 that pays him $34 million annually and included $100 million in guaranteed money. While the Cowboys could match or even exceed Lamb's numbers, they might be reluctant to do so for long-term cap issues and how they want to build their roster over the next few seasons.
They already have the highest-paid player, Prescott ($60 million), the highest-paid interior offensive lineman, Tyler Smith ($23.4 million), and the third-highest-paid receiver (Lamb). If they sign Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey, a restricted free agent, to an extension, he would likely be the highest paid at his position.
And the Cowboys have work to do on a defense that allowed the most points in franchise history in 2025 (511).
The last player the Cowboys signed on a first-time franchise tag to a multiyear deal before the July 15 deadline was Dez Bryant in 2015. The Cowboys signed defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (2019) and Prescott (2021) to extensions after they placed the tag on them the second time.
This is the 11th time the Cowboys have used the franchise tag, and Pickens is the eighth different player. Anthony Spencer, Lawrence and Prescott were tagged twice. Since 2020, the Cowboys have used the tag every year but 2024 and 2025.
The past two times they used the tag came in 2022 and 2023 on tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Tony Pollard, who ultimately left as free agents the following season.
Adding further spice to contract negotiations is the history between the team and one of Pickens' agents, David Mulugheta, who also represents pass rusher Micah Parsons.
Last year, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he and Parsons reached an agreement on a deal that would have made Parsons the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. When Mulugheta balked at the agreement, talks between the sides cooled and never really rekindled.
Parsons did not take part in the offseason program and went through a hold-in during training camp, attending meetings while in Oxnard, California, but he did not practice.
A week before the 2025 season began, Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks, and he signed a four-year, $188 million deal that included $120 million guaranteed.
Speaking on "First Take" after the Parsons trade in September, Mulugheta said talks regarding a potential Pickens deal would not be impacted by what happened last summer. Asked late in the season if he would talk directly with Jones on a contract, Pickens said he would let his agent do the deal.
Theoretically, Pickens could follow the similar offseason and training camp path that Parsons chose last summer if the sides are not able to work out a long-term extension.
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