Cowboys Lock in Pickens with Franchise Tag

0:00On April 22nd, the Dallas Cowboys just locked in wide receiver George Pickens with the franchise tag for 2026 straight up pausing talks on a long-term deal. They notified his agent a week ago during their pre-draft presser, making it clear he's playing under that tag next season no questions asked. Front office exec Stephen Jones called the chat super-cordial, saying it's not their first rodeo. Think Deck Press got getting tagged twice or to Marcus. Lawrence and Tony Pollard before him. The team traded a third round pick to snag Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers last off-season and they're all in on him sticking around. Jones and head coach Brian Shottenheimer both gushed about how fired up they are. Noting Pickens loved teaming up with CD-LAM, DAC, and the offense. After a breakout year with over 1,400 receiving yards, nine touchdowns, and his first pro bull nod, everyone's expecting him to ball out. The hold up, paying two top-shelf receivers like Pickens in LAM stretches the cap thin,

1:02especially with other stars on the roster, plus he's only been there a year. They see his growth but want more proof before going multi-year. Pickens keeps grinding workouts with Prescott and the crew this off-season, and the Cowboys left the door open for long-term talks next year if he repeats that magic.