Cowboys halt long-term contract talks with George Pickens, WR to play on franchise tag

"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 Wednesday. "But that's certainly not a first for this organization and certainly won't be a first in the league in terms of this decision as we move forward. Whether it's Dak Prescott, who played under one and got tagged a second time. Whether it's DLaw. Whether it's Tony Pollard, we've certainly had those situations."

Pickens and his agent David Mulugheta were informed of this news directly from Jerry and Stephen Jones, but it's safe to say they didn't appreciate the team tabling extension talks for the year. The Jones family spoke directly to Mulugheta while Jerry Jones and Schottenheimer met directly with Pickens to inform him of their decision.

"I don't think that's [describing Pickens' and Mulugheta's reaction] productive to get into right now," Stephen Jones said.

"It was good," Schottenheimer said of his meeting with Pickens. "The thing that George knows about Jerry and myself is we're very upfront and we're honest. We had great conversation. We informed him. We think that's important because that's the way we handle all of our players and coaches."

Pickens exceeded all expectations Dallas had for him after trading a third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade last May. He erupted for the third-most receiving yards in the NFL with 1,429 while ranking top 10 in the league in numerous receiving categories in his first season playing alongside quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

"We're so fired up to have George on this football team. Obviously he's been here for a year. We gave up a third-round pick for him and certainly he's made tremendous progress in the year he's been here," Stephen Jones said. "I think he'd be the first to tell you this is a great situation for him, playing with CeeDee and Dak and in Coach Schottenheimer's offense. He loves Coach Schottenheimer and what he brings to the table. But certainly a conscious decision that we've made."

Pickens' offseason program participation

Just as Pickens has no assurance of a long-term deal with Dallas after being told he will play out the 2026 season on the franchise tag, the Cowboys don't know whether he will participate in the team's offseason program before training camp. That's because Pickens has yet to sign his franchise tag offer sheet, so the team cannot currently mandate his participation or fine him for nonparticipation.

"No assurances. Just like there are no assurances on other players. That's why it's the offseason, and it's voluntary," Stephen Jones said. "It just turns out that we've been very fortunate over the years that people love to make their homes here in Dallas and for the most part, we have great attendance on our voluntary programs. We have no assurances."

However, Schottenheimer is aware of Pickens spending time with Prescott to work out and throw together this offseason, which is why he isn't incredibly concerned about the wide receiver's offseason program attendance.

"He loves it here. And you guys will get a chance to talk to him. We're thrilled with what he did. We're looking forward to another great year," Schottenheimer said. "What was really cool for me in our conversations with him was him talking about taking the next step as a leader. ... The influence that he has on this locker room is very powerful because he loves playing football so much. And that's what we love about George. But I will reach out and talk to him. But again, it's all voluntary and guys will be in and out for different reasons."

How Pickens' contract situation affects the 2026 NFL Draft

With the Cowboys currently slated to pick 12th and 20th overall on Thursday night for the first round of the draft, there's a chance their desired defensive prospects are no longer on the board. Dallas feels there are 12 players in this year's draft who, according to its scouting department, are "true" first-round talents. So how will Pickens' situation impact their approach? Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and/or USC wide receiver Makai Lemon could both be on the board at pick No. 12.

"That's all part of the global picture. Certainly, you're always looking at that. It's just like we did when we took CeeDee Lamb. We had some really good receivers on this team but we took him [in 2020]," Stephen Jones said. "It would certainly be no different as we look at the board and our number gets called to pick, and we'll make that decision at that point. We're certainly not opposed to taking the best player on our board. That's usually where we've had our most success is doing that. As Jerry said, we were all set to go defense in that particular draft, and CeeDee Lamb was sitting there. That's the guy we went with. It's turned out to be a great selection for us."

There's been an understanding of teams calling their established starting quarterbacks when they take another quarterback in the first round of the draft. Would the Cowboys give the same courtesy to Pickens and give him a heads-up beforehand if they were about to select either Tyson or Lemon? Dallas wouldn't divulge an answer on that today, but they definitely aren't ruling out selecting one of those players at pick No. 12.

"We don't want to get into the weeds like that today. Obviously, as we get ready for this draft, we'll have a lot of options, and we'll obviously address those types of situations if they happen to come about," Stephen Jones said. "Certainly, we go over all our contingencies and how we would handle something or what we would do. But to get into the detail of that, I don't think it's productive today."