The Dallas Cowboys had some decisions to make coming into the offseason. One of those decisions was what they would do with George Pickens, and they've officially made the choice to put the franchise tag on him, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.
“The Dallas Cowboys will place the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens today to secure his rights at least through 2026, according to sources. Fixed to adding today,” Archer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Stephen Jones let it be known earlier in the week that they'd be franchise tagging Pickens.
“We think the world of him. We want him here,” Jones said via Judy Battista of NFL.com.
It's no surprise that the Cowboys have made this decision, but the next question is, when will they offer Pickens a long-term contract? Over the past few years, they've taken their time when it comes to paying their top players, such as CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. On the other hand, they've shown that they won't pay up, and they'll trade their top player, like they did with Micah Parsons this past season.
The Cowboys traded for Pickens last offseason, and it turned out to be a great move when looking at what they were able to do on offense. Dak Prescott had another top option to pass the ball to, and when Lamb was injured, Pickens stepped up in his absence and made some big plays.
There's no doubt that he's worthy of a long-term contract, but at this point, it's uncertain to know what the Cowboys will plan on doing.
Placing the franchise tag on him shows the Cowboys do value him and want to keep him around, but if he plays on it next season and has a better year than last, they're going to have to pay up even more.
