Why George Pickens situation in Dallas suddenly feels worth watching

Why George Pickens situation in Dallas suddenly feels worth watching originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

George Pickens officially signed his franchise tag with the Dallas Cowboys, but things remain cloudy. The deal guarantees he remains under contract, but questions continue about whether he will take part in the team’s voluntary workouts.

Speaking on Mad Dog Radio on Wednesday, Jerry Jones’ son and Cowboys executive vice president, Stephen Jones, revealed the organization has not received confirmation that Pickens will attend every mandatory part of the offseason program. However, Jones made it clear the franchise has no intention of moving on from the star receiver.

“Certainly, that’s what we expect,” Jones said. “I mean, anytime a player signs a contract and the expectations, as we hold for all of our players, are when you sign up, and you’re under contract, then you’re expected to do what your teammates are doing.

“And certainly, you know, go back to Dak (Prescott), I know (Pickens) is working with Dak and those types of things, but at the end of the day, you know, we will see how this thing plays out…There’s zero interest in a trade for George Pickens. Zero interest.”

Pickens is set to earn more than $27 million under the franchise tag next season, but he still faces pressure to prove he deserves a long-term extension. The last Cowboys player to secure a multi-year deal after receiving a first franchise tag was back in 2015.