{"id":82231,"date":"2026-04-22T20:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/no-long-term-deal-cowboys-want-george-pickens-to-play-under-franchise-tag-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:11:00","slug":"no-long-term-deal-cowboys-want-george-pickens-to-play-under-franchise-tag-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/no-long-term-deal-cowboys-want-george-pickens-to-play-under-franchise-tag-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"No long-term deal, Cowboys want George Pickens to play under franchise tag in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"


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FRISCO, Texas \u2014 The Dallas Cowboys have decided not to negotiate a long-term contract with star wide receiver George Pickens. He will remain under the franchise tag for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones shared that news during Dallas\u2019 annual pre-draft news conference on Wednesday at The Star.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made a decision that we\u2019re going to have George play under the franchise tag, which won\u2019t be a first for us,\u201d Jones said. \u201cSo there won\u2019t be negotiations on a long-term deal. But that\u2019s certainly not a first for this organization and certainly won\u2019t be a first in the league in terms of this decision as we move forward. Whether it\u2019s Dak Prescott, who played under one and got tagged a second time, whether it\u2019s (DeMarcus Lawrence), whether it\u2019s Tony Pollard, we\u2019ve certainly had those situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so fired up to have George on this football team. Obviously, he\u2019s been here for a year. We gave up a third-round pick for him and certainly he\u2019s made tremendous progress in the year he\u2019s been here. I think he\u2019d be the first to tell you this is a great situation for him, playing with CeeDee (Lamb) and Dak and in coach (Brian) Schottenheimer\u2019s offense. He loves coach Schottenheimer and what he brings to the table. But certainly a conscious decision that we\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones shared this news about five minutes after the news conference was interrupted by a visit from President Bill Clinton.<\/p>\n

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President Bill Clinton showed up at the Dallas Cowboys pre-draft news conference pic.twitter.com\/YpCXhX4O3L<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Pickens, who has not yet signed his franchise tag tender, met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Schottenheimer recently and had what Schottenheimer called a \u201cgood\u201d visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cThe thing that George knows about Jerry and myself is we\u2019re very upfront and we\u2019re honest. We had a great conversation. We informed him. We think that\u2019s important because that\u2019s the way we handle all of our players and coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones had a call with Pickens\u2019 agent, David Mulugheta, last week to share their decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt went real well, super cordial,\u201d Stephen Jones said. \u201cObviously, he can speak to it as well in terms of what his view of it was, but it was very cordial. The call went on for 5-10 minutes, and it was very productive, I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen Jones said there have been no assurances given that Pickens will take part in their offseason program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to him kicking ass this year,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cHe loves it here. \u2026 I expect that he\u2019ll be around. I really do. The one thing that I love about George is George likes honesty and that\u2019s who we are. That\u2019s not just because his name is George Pickens and he\u2019s a great player. We do that to undrafted free agents and that gives you the best chance to make sure you\u2019re all on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickens, 25, is coming off a career year in which he was named to his first Pro Bowl and was second-team All-Pro. He led Dallas\u2019 offense, which was one of the NFL\u2019s best, in targets (137), receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and touchdown receptions (9).<\/p>\n

Pickens and five-time Pro Bowler Lamb showed last season how dangerous they could be playing together, giving Dallas two No. 1 wide receivers. If Pickens doesn\u2019t attend the offseason program, the plan is for him to get in work with Dak Prescott away from the team facility.<\/p>\n

Without a long-term deal, Pickens could also choose to skip all of training camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t let it,\u201d\u00a0 Schottenheimer said when asked about Pickens\u2019absence potentially hindering what they\u2019re trying to do on offense. \u201cDak Prescott won\u2019t let it. Dak Prescott and the leadership of all these guys, including George. They want to be great. They know our goals. They know where we\u2019re going. The work will get done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cowboys acquired Pickens last May by sending a third- and a fifth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Pickens and a sixth-round pick. Pittsburgh had been looking to trade Pickens, a second-round pick in 2022, because of character concerns during his first four years in the league. Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said five months before the trade that Pickens needed to \u201cgrow up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although he was late to meetings at times and missed curfew before Dallas\u2019 game at Las Vegas in November, the public comments from teammates, coaches and ownership have been positive. Both parties made it clear entering the offseason that they wanted a future together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n