Why George Pickens situation in Dallas suddenly feels worth watching

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.

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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 Dez Bryant back in 2015.

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Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho has already cautioned the Cowboys that the situation with Pickens could become complicated. However, Dallas continues to view him as a big piece of the offense alongside star receiver CeeDee Lamb.

“The challenges it causes other defenses when you have two dynamic receivers like CeeDee and George,” Jones said. “I think George has a chance to, believe it or not, get better. Playing alongside CeeDee there, it keeps everybody honest and, you know, they aren’t the only weapons on our team. … Obviously, the expectations are he’ll be in the building working alongside his teammates and working to create an identity for this football team to have success.”

The Cowboys originally acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025 in exchange for a third-round pick. The move paid off immediately, as Pickens earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career last season.

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