As star wide receiver George Pickens joined the Dallas Cowboys minicamp this week, he made it clear where he stands on playing with the franchise tag.
The Cowboys and Pickens couldn’t reach a deal this offseason, so Dallas put Pickens on the franchise tag for $27.298 million this year. That means his contract is guaranteed for one year at a salary fit for top players at his position. Pickens had a career year with the Cowboys last season with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, which warranted a large contract.
“Like the tag and all that, it’s just football first,” Pickens told reporters on Tuesday.
Pickens said he wasn’t going to worry about the contract this year and would let his agent attend to it. The veteran wideout doubled down on his focus on the field.
“What’s important to me is winning,” Pickens said. “Like I said from the beginning, I always wanna bring a Super Bowl to a group of guys that never had that feeling. That’s really the most important part to me.”
Dallas missed the playoffs last year with a 7–9–1 record, but expectations are higher this year with an improved defense. The Cowboys already have a loaded offense with Pickens, fellow star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott.
Dallas signed Lamb and Prescott in the past two years, but a Pickens deal will have to wait.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated things are looking positive for 2026.
“Really great visits with George,” Schottenheimer told reporters on Tuesday. “Fired up to have him back, he’s fired up to be here. He‘ll do all the mock, he’ll do all the individual, and we‘ll just keep him out of team, just let him watch. He’ll be coach Pickens today during the team period.”
Schottenheimer also expressed confidence in Pickens’ return. The Cowboys acquired Pickens last year via a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I know how he feels about this team, this locker room, what we’re building here. So I’m not surprised to see him, and I’m thrilled he’s here,” Schottenheimer said.
That doesn’t mean the contract is off Pickens’ mind. He reiterated that he wanted to explore that with the Cowboys.
“Just definitely as a person, as anybody, I would want you to tell your kids or friends exactly what you’re going to do,” Pickens said.
Schottenheimer also indicated his recent talks with Pickens weren’t on his future with the team.
“He’s gotten into golf, which is cool. I love to play golf, so might have to go take his money on the golf course a little bit,” Schottenheimer said. “But no, we just chopped it up about life.”
“Again, great to catch up and he’s in a really good spot, which again, his smile is infectious and when he’s around it’s great for us,” Shottenheimer added. “I say it all the time, the influence he has, I don’t even think he has the understanding of how powerful it is because he loves playing the game so much and he loves playing the game specifically here with his teammates.”
Pickens can begin working on a deal for 2027 by producing another big season. He wants to become one of the highest-paid players in the league.
“I’m just here to make the best decision for the team and myself. ... If you keep showing it, or they already have a hint of who you are, that’s when they'll start speaking on [Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s] contracts and stuff like that,” Pickens said. “I just keep doing what is best for me.”
Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks has the largest contract of all NFL receivers at $168.6 million for four years. Lamb has the fifth-biggest contract at $136 million.
