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The Dallas Cowboys will not negotiate a long-term deal with wide receiver George Pickens, who will play under the franchise tag for the 2026 season. Executive VP Stephen Jones confirmed that negotiations are off and emphasized the team's satisfaction with Pickens' progress.
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The Dallas Cowboys are not going to negotiate a long-term agreement with wideout George Pickens. At their pre-draft presser on Wednesday, Executive VP Stephen Jones gavae a lengthy explanation of the current state of things when it comes to the star wideout and his contract situation.
Jones flat out said that negotiations aren't going to happen and that Pickens is going to play the 2026 season under the tag.
"Weāve made a decision that weāre going to have George play under the franchise tag, which wonāt be a first for us. So There wonāt be negotiations on a long-term deal.Thatās certainly not af irst for this organization and certainly wont be a first in the league in terms of this decision as we move forward. But whether itās Dak Prescott who played under one and got tagged a second time, whether itās DLaw, whether itās Tony Pollard, we certainly had those situations.
Weāre so fired up to have George on this football team, obviously heās been here for a year. We gave up a third round pick for him and certainly heās made tremendous progress in the year that heās been here. I think heād be the first to tell you this is a great situation for him playing with CD and Dak in coach Schottenheimerās offense. He loves Coach Schottenheimer and what he brings to the table.
Thereās a lot of things that go into that⦠letās start with the fact itās not easy having two receivers being paid top of the market. Thatās stretch when you have other great players on your team. A quarterback thatās been here, being the highest paid player in the league for a few many years now. Certainly thatās part of it. The other thing is the newness of George being here. I think George has just done an amazing job.heās exceeded all expectations⦠we wouldnāt have gotten him for a third-round pick. Thatās a plus, a lot of these things, they make their way towards a long-term deal. But thatās the biggest part of it, between the business and the newness of it."
The Cowboys have decided to have George Pickens play under the franchise tag due to the complexities of managing multiple high-paid players on the roster.
Stephen Jones stated that there will be no negotiations for a long-term deal and highlighted Pickens' positive impact on the team since joining.
Playing under the franchise tag allows the Cowboys to retain Pickens for the 2026 season without committing to a long-term contract, impacting their salary cap and roster management.

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When asked if Pickens had been informed that the negotiations are off, Jones replied, "Heās aware and so is Mulugheta (Pickens' agent)⦠I donāt think itās productive (to discuss what their reaction was)/"
Jones went on to say there have been no assurances Pickens will be in Dallas for the offseason program.
"He hasnāt signed⦠heās not under contract⦠thatās up to George and David as far as the decision they ultimately make. Itās been a minute since I personally talked to him. Jerry and Schotty have had a meeting here as of late."
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys say not negotiating with Pickens, WR to play under tag for '26