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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Signs franchise tag
George Pickens has officially signed his franchise tag with the Dallas Cowboys, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.Pickens signing the tag was expected, and now the wideout is guaranteed $27.3 million for the 2026 season. As things stand, the Cowboys have a clear-cut 1-2 punch atop their WR depth chart in CeeDee Lamb and Pickens. Regarding speculation that the team could consider moving Pickens, Jon Machota of The Athletic notes that Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones made it clear after Day 1 of last week's draft that the team has no interest in trading the 2022 second-rounder. In his first season with Dallas, Pickens recorded a fantasy-friendly 93/1,429/9 receiving line across 17 regular-season contests.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Signing franchise tag
George Pickens will sign his franchise tag in the coming days, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said this week that the team will not be signing Pickens to a long-term deal this offseason, and once the receiver puts pen to paper on the franchise tag, the team can then trade the wideout. While there has been trade chatter around Pickens, it's unclear if Dallas actually has any intention to make a move after Pickens had a career year in his first season with the Cowboys in 2025, catching 93 of 137 targets for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns across 17 regular-season contests. Dallas may want to see if Pickens can replicate those numbers before committing to him for the long haul.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Team optimistic he'll sign tag
The Dallas Cowboys aren't sure if George Pickens will participate in the offseason program after they ended negotiations on a long-term contract, but the team is optimistic he'll sign his franchise tag before Week 1, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.Pickens likely was hoping for a multi-year deal with a signing bonus larger than his $27.3 million franchise tag. The Cowboys are hoping he'll respond to their direct approach, having informed agent David Mulugheta last week that they don't want to discuss a long-term contract and hope Pickens will play under his tag. For now, Pickens isn't technically under contract and thus can't be fined for missing practices or meetings. If he were to remain unsigned at the start of the regular season, he'd then miss out on $1.52 million each week until he signs and reports to the team. In the meantime, trade rumors are sure to swirl, especially given that this announcement comes on the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft. Pickens would have to sign his franchise tag to facilitate a trade, with any team acquiring him then having until July 15 to hammer out a long-term contract. That said, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones gave the impression that he expects Pickens to eventually sign his tag and play for the team in 2026.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Not negotiating long-term deal
Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said Wednesday that George Pickens will play out 2026 under the franchise tag, with no negotiations toward a long-term deal, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports.It's unusual for a team to make this kind of announcement, especially with nearly three months remaining before the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to negotiate contracts. Pickens hasn't signed his tag and thus can't be fined for missing team activities. The tag is worth $27.3 million, which means he'll miss out on around $1.52 million per week if he declines to sign before the start of the regular season. Pickens hasn't made public comments on the situation, but it's probably safe to say he isn't thrilled.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: May not attend voluntary OTAs
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that he has spoken with George Pickens but is unsure whether the franchise-tagged wide receiver will attend voluntary team workouts this spring, Tommy Yarrish of the team's official site reports.Pickens currently is slated to play out the 2026 campaign on the one-year, fully-guaranteed $27.29 million franchise tag, though he and Dallas still have until mid-July to negotiate a potential long-term deal. The 25-year-old has not yet officially signed his franchise tag, however. Schottenheimer said, "We have plans for [Pickens] to be here for a long time, so we'll let the business side of this thing play out," and the coach confirmed that he hasn't sought any assurances that Pickens will attend any voluntary team activities. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones echoed Schottenheimer's statements, noting that "everybody would like to have a long-term deal" but "[w]e're just not gonna comment as we move forward on negotiations."
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Officially tagged
The Dallas Cowboys officially placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on George Pickens on Friday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.The transaction is confirmed by Patrik Walker of the team's official site. The non-exclusive franchise tag will allow Pickens to negotiate with other teams beginning with the start of the legal tampering period March 9, but it will also allow Dallas the right to match any offer extended to the breakout wide receiver. As with any franchise tag option, both sides will still have until mid-July to negotiate a potential multi-year deal, and Cowboys ownership has continually expressed a desire to keep Pickens around long-term. If no long-term extension is finalized, Pickens will be slated to play out the 2026 campaign on a fully guaranteed one-year, $28.8 million contract, per K.D. Drummond of USA Today.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: To receive franchise tag
Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that the team plans to finalize designating George Pickens with the franchise tag within the next week, A to Z Sports reports.Pickens receiving the franchise tag has been the expectation after his breakout inaugural campaign in Dallas, which featured a 93-1,429-9 receiving line (137 targets) across 17 regular-season appearances. The franchise tag would allow the Cowboys to retain Pickens, an impending free agent, for the 2026 season on a one-year, $28 million exclusive deal, as well as provide both sides with until mid-July to negotiate a long-term deal. Were Pickens to reach the open market as a free agent, the soon-to-be 25-year-old wideout would doubtless earn a multi-year deal well in excess of that annual salary figure. Randy Gurzi of SI.com estimates that any deal Pickens were to sign on the open market would be in the range of $30 million per year.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Expected to get franchise tag
The Dallas Cowboys are expected to place their franchise tag on George Pickens during the offseason, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.Pickens had a breakout year in his first campaign with Dallas, posting career bests of 93 catches, 137 targets, 1,429 receiving yards and nine receiving TDs while making his first Pro Bowl and earning second-team All-Pro recognition. While he's stated that he'd like to remain with the Cowboys, Pickens is slated to be an unrestricted free agent, so Dallas appears set to get a leg up on retaining the star wideout by applying the franchise tag to him. Schefter notes that the tag could simply "serve as a placeholder for the start of negotiations designed to keep [Pickens] in Dallas."
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: No contract talks with Cowboys yet
Dallas has not yet engaged in discussions about a potential new contract with George Pickens, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.Pickens broke out as the Dallas Cowboys' leading receiver in 2025, with his 93-1,429-9 line on 137 targets outpacing CeeDee Lamb by six scores and roughly 350 receiving yards. That stands as a notable margin even considering that Pickens played all 17 regular-season games while Lamb suited up for just 14 contests. All expectations are that Dallas will retain Pickens, either via the franchise tag or with a contract extension following the tremendous chemistry he's demonstrated with quarterback Dak Prescott. As Watkins notes, however, the Cowboys' contract negotiations last offseason were tumultuous, culminating in the trade of Micah Parsons (knee), and if Pickens were to hit the open market he'd be one of the most sought-after free agents in the league.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Cowboys' George Pickens: Finishes with 1,423 yards, nine TDs
George Pickens caught one of three targets for nine yards in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Giants. He finishes the 2025 season with 93 catches for 1,423 yards and nine touchdowns on 137 targets.Pickens didn't add much to his career-high totals in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns before the Dallas Cowboys took out their key offensive starters at halftime. The 24-year-old wide receiver is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, though the Cowboys are expected to retain Pickens, either through an extension or with the franchise tag. Pickens posted the best season of his career after being acquired from the Steelers in an offseason trade, but Dallas failed to reach the playoffs with a 7-9-1 record.
George Pickens
#3 WR / Dallas Cowboys / EXP: 5YRS Height: 6-3 Weight: 200 lb Age: 25 College: Georgia Bye 14Fantasy Points by Week
- PROJ
- FANTASY PTS
- Rost
- 100%
- Start
- 92%
- WR Rank
- 8