Pickens signs Cowboys $27.3M franchise tag, paving way for draft trade

The Dallas Cowboys seemed to make a definitive stand on Wednesday at their pre-draft press conference. After speaking abou what they'd be interested in doing during Thursday's first round of the 2026 NFL draft, the club made zero commitments to staying put, trading up or trading back. The only thing they let it be known during the first stanza of the presser is that everything is on the table, including trading for veteran help.

After an interlude where President Bill Clinton arrived and whisked away owner Jerry Jones, the attention turned to wideout George Pickens, whom the team placed the franchise tag on in early March. Dallas traded for Pickens last May with just a year remaining on his deal. Vice President Stephen Jones made if very clear that the club was no longer negotiating with Pickens and his agent David Mulugheta on a long-term deal. They intended to have Pickens play the 2026 season on the franchise tag.

Jones allowed that Pickens had yet to sign the franchise tag, which would pay him $27.3 million.

Low and behold, 24 hours later and just a few hours before the start of the 2026 draft, Pickens has signed the tender.

Signing the tender could mean a number of things, including Pickens desire to work with the team and show good faith. However the clearest connection is that Pickens has to have signed the tender before he could be traded to another team. With so much trade news circulating around the entire league, the possibility the Cowboys could be looking to move on from Pickens instead of spending the entire summer discussing a hold-out situation may have become prevelant.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys WR George Pickens signs franchise tag hours before 2026 draft