With the Dallas Cowboys looking to pull out an upset once again against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving, one takeaway from this season has been the play of wide receiver George Pickens. As rumors surround the Cowboys and Pickens, especially since it's a contract year for the star, fans would like to hear the latest update about the player.
So far this season, Pickens has caught 67 passes for 1,054 yards to go along with eight touchdowns, which the yardage is good for second most in the league. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network would report on the situation, saying that Dallas doesn't want to get rid of him, keeping him “likely with the franchise tag.”
“Yeah, it has been an unbelievable trade for the Dallas Cowboys,” Rapoport said. “Middle of May last year, the Cowboys traded for George Pickens, just kind of took a flyer on a really talented receiver, and he has been everything they thought and more. You mentioned it second in receiving yards. This is a contract year for George Pickens. My understanding is the Cowboys are expected to keep him around, likely with the franchise tag.”
From @NFLGameDay Morning: The #Cowboys want to bring back WR George Pickens for 2026 and beyond, while #Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs could be the next Detroit star to get a huge deal. pic.twitter.com/90hPDCWi5K
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2025
The prospect of a long-term deal for the Cowboys' George Pickens
While fans look back on the Cowboys trading for Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the expectations were just that he'd be a good second option opposite CeeDee Lamb for quarterback Dak Prescott. He's been fantastic and more so far, though Rapoport speaks on how “expensive” it will be in figuring out a long-term deal, especially since the team does not have an abundance of cap space.
“Now it'll be expensive to try to work out a long-term deal,” Rapoport said. “They don't have a ton of cap space, but they don't want him going anywhere, especially because of how he has mixed with CeeDee Lamb. Jerry Jones, talking on local radio this week, said we've got two number one receivers, that is a fact, so we will be following that one.”
At any rate, Dallas is 5-5-1, putting them second in the NFC East before Thursday's game against the Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day.
