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Days after the Dallas Cowboys signed running back Javonte Williams to a new three-year, $24M contract, the Cowboys were back in the news. Stephen Jones spoke to the media on Monday and delivered some interesting insights. He indicated the team’s intent to use the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens. Many had speculated this as being the case, but with Jones’ confirmation, let’s ask why?
Why would the Cowboys defer a Pickens contract extension after Pickens had 93 receptions for 1,493 yards? Well, it’s complicated. Here would be the pros and pons of the Cowboys using the franchise tag on Pickens.
Pros
Keeps Pickens in town
The first and most obvious one: It keeps a player of Pickens’ caliber in the fold ahead of a pivotal 2026 season for the team. Pickens has shown that his ability to play down the field has unlocked a portion of the field, which in turn has created more passing lanes. In the middle of the field the safeties are occupied with keeping Pickens from getting over the top outside the numbers. For Pickens individually, his unreal coordination at tracking the deep ball can instantly change the game for the Cowboys on a catch or even on a penalty, as he does have a penchant for drawing pass interference penalties. The Second-Team All-Pro is also a threat after the catch, as we saw his game expand last season with more competent quarterback play.
More time to get a deal done
The franchise tag doesn’t mean the beginning of the end in terms of Pickens and Dallas’ working relationship. By not tagging Pickens and moving into the start of free agency without a contract, the Cowboys risked him being stolen away. Remember, back in 2020, the Cowboys allowed Amari Cooper to test free agency, and he drew interest from the Washington Commanders before returning to the Cowboys on a new contract. There’s no guarantee that would happen again with Pickens. The Cowboys would have until July 15th to work a new contract with Pickens after they place the franchise tag on him.
Door left open for a trade
By now, everyone has seen the trade ideas that have been passed around on social media, and the most popular seems to be the prospect of the Cowboys trading Pickens to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby. While it would be easy to scoff at such a proposition, the Cowboys have shocked many of us within the last year by pulling off blockbuster trades such as trading away Micah Parsons and trading for Quinnen Williams. If the Cowboys are looking to hold on to Pickens for the chance to flip him for more resources, that’s not terrible reasoning.
Aside from entertaining the idea of adding Crosby, the Cowboys have more holes to address on their roster. Dallas welcomed Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator, and the team seems very pleased with their hire at this point. You can rest assured that the Cowboys are going to do all they can to support him in his new role. Trading Pickens for draft capital could result in a bonanza of picks that they could utilize in the near future to bolster their defensive unit.
Cons
Huge cap hit in 2026
Now here is where kicking the proverbial can down the road will sting the Cowboys. The tag for Pickens is going to be around $28M, and that rigid cost impacts the Cowboys’ ability to work on other contracts. Brandon Aubrey is a deal the Cowboys desperately want to get done as soon as they can, but there are others like Jadeveon Clowney. Dallas has the option to restructure other contracts and free up more cap space, but they could do a whole lot better without tying up $28M on the franchise tag, especially if they would like to use some of the cap to sign some free agents.
Opening a can of worms
Not every player handles playing on the franchise tag well. Playing on the tag doesn’t offer players the assurance and financial security that getting a long term contract does. So far, Pickens has mostly been on his best behavior with the Cowboys, but we’re talking about him potentially risking over $100M by playing on the franchise tag. Pickens could decide to to make things very unpleasant in an effort to expedite the process of being shipped out of Dallas in hopes of landing with a suitor that will pay him the big bucks.
Ultimately, the Cowboys should bite the bullet and pay Pickens a new contract with long-term flexibility that allows Dak Prescott to have two prolific passing weapons. Pickens hasn’t even reached his prime, and there’s no answer to stop him once he gets going vertically. Almost single-handedly, he carried the Cowboys to a few wins last season, and the Cowboys look like geniuses for only giving a third-round pick to acquire him from the Pittsburgh Steelers.