The Dallas Cowboys came into the offseason with questions surrounding another possible contract situation, and this time it involved George Pickens. After a strong season with the Cowboys, many were interested to see if they planned on offering him a contract extension. As of now, they plan on franchisee tagging him, according to Stephen Jones.
“We think the world of him. We want him here,” Jones said via Judy Battista of NFL.com.
Though the Cowboys plan on using the franchise tag on Pickens, Jones also noted that he wouldn't put a timeline on trying to get a deal done with him.
There was always a good chance that the Cowboys would franchise tag Pickens, as Battista initially reported it a few days ago.
“There is almost no doubt that Pickens is going to be tagged,” Battista wrote. “Traded from Pittsburgh to Dallas last May, he had a career season, logging 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in the final year of his rookie contract. He also helped free up CeeDee Lamb in the pass game, and Stephen Jones has said the Cowboys want Pickens in Dallas. This should be a placeholder as the sides work toward a long-term deal, but the Cowboys have also shown a willingness to trade top players for draft picks. You can’t rule anything out, but it seems like Pickens will be a Cowboy.
The Cowboys have definitely shown that they'll wait until the very last moment to sign a player, or they may just trade them, as they did with Micah Parsons. The hope is that the same thing doesn't happen with Pickens, but you truly can't put anything past them.
Offensively, the Cowboys clicked on all cylinders with the addition of Pickens to the team alongside Ceedee Lamb. If they can keep that going and find ways to improve their defense, they should be back in playoff contention next season.
