Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens didn’t get the long-term deal he was seeking this offseason, but he won’t let that become a distraction as the team ramps up for the regular season. Despite not coming to terms on an extension, Pickens will reportedly show up at the team’s mandatory minicamp Tuesday, per Clarence Hill of AllDlls.com.
Pickens, who gained a career-high 1,429 yards and scored nine touchdowns last season, was given the franchise tag by the team in March. The move guaranteed Pickens would make a high salary in 2026, but at the cost of him not hitting the free-agent market following his best year so far.
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While Pickens eventually signed that deal, the wideout skipped all voluntary workouts with the team, perhaps as a sign he still wanted a long-term contract. But now that mandatory workouts are starting, Pickens will reportedly be in attendance, per Hill.
Though Pickens has pushed for a long-term deal, the Cowboys have consistently said the team is comfortable letting him play on the franchise tag in 2026. Team owner Jerry Jones confirmed as much in March, though claimed the franchise has “long-term plans for Pickens.” Team vice president Stephen Jones added a month later that the plan was to have Pickens play under the franchise tag in 2026.
Pickens will make $27.3 million in 2026.
The 25-year-old wideout had been an impressive, though inconsistent, player prior to joining the Cowboys in 2025. In Dallas, however, he found a new gear. With CeeDee Lamb injured early, Pickens set new career-highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, success rate and catch percentage. That performance earned Pickens his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance and first All-Pro nod, where he was named to the second team.
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But — prior to 2025 — inconsistency and immaturity plagued Pickens’ time in the NFL. Throughout the 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was criticized for his lack of effort on the field, eventually leading Pickens to post the phrase “free me” on social media. Pickens later said that post had nothing to do with football.
While Pickens mostly erased those issues in his one season in Dallas, he was briefly benched by the team for missing curfew late in the season.
Due to those issues, the Cowboys want to see Pickens do it again in 2026. If he can repeat his 2025 numbers, Pickens stands to gain an even bigger long-term deal next offseason.
If not, the Cowboys will look pretty smart for holding the line with the talented, but mercurial, wideout.
