Cowboys Lock in Williams, Ponder Pickens' Future

0:00On March 5, NFL free agency kicks off its legal tampering period in less than a week with the official market opening soon after. The Dallas Cowboys are moving fast to keep their key talent off the open market as contracts expire for hundreds of players league-wide. They just locked in Javante Williams with a new deal that has fans excited. Negotiations are underway with kicker Brandon Aubrey and they've slapped a second-round tender on a restricted free agent for extra leverage. The big question mark is why receiver pickens, who they hit with a non-exclusive franchise tag. That means three main paths forward. He plays 20-26 under the tag and a hefty 27.3 million dollar cap hit, they hammer. Out a long-term extension to ease that number, or he signs elsewhere and they get draft compensation. If another team moves him with a big offer sheet, the Cowboys have right-of-first refusal, but matching could cause two first-round picks, something. Teams rarely do. More likely, a trade deal shakes out for fewer picks, giving Dallas some draft ammo while pickens lands a fresh contract.

1:05Fans are weighing in through surveys on which scenario plays out as the Cowboys balance cap space with stars like CD-LAM already on the books.