Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated (via Clarence Hill of All City DLLS) that Dallas was open to signing wide receiver George Pickens to a contract extension.
Jones praised Pickens as an “exemplary teammate” and again referred to the Micah Parsons trade as an opportunity to sign multiple players for the price of one.
Pickens was traded to the Cowboys in May and initially said that he was planning to play out the final year of his contract. That may still be the case, but he indicated in August that he was open to an extended stay in Dallas. Pickens also hinted that he was more comfortable in the locker room relative to his time in Pittsburgh, which was marked by attendance issues and sideline outbursts.
The 24-year-old wideout got off to a good, but not great start in Dallas with 13 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games. But after CeeDee Lamb went down with a high ankle sprain, Pickens exploded for an 8-134-2 stat line in his first full game as the Cowboys’ WR1. He is now on pace for career-highs across the board, though Lamb’s eventual return will eat into his target share. Continuing to produce will certainly keep him as a featured target in the Cowboys offense, even when Lamb retakes his role.
Pickens could be in line for a massive contract if he finishes with another 1,000-yard season, especially if he reaches 4,000 career receiving yards by the end of his fourth season. Fellow 2022 draftee Jameson Williams signed a three-year, $80MM extension earlier this year, though that value is inflated by per-game roster bonuses, workout bonuses, and a non-guaranteed option bonus due in the final year of the deal. Williams has significantly less production than Pickens, so the latter should be able to match or eclipse that deal with a more player-friendly structure.
Signing Pickens to an extension would certainly make sense given that the Cowboys gave up third- and fifth-round picks for him (and a sixth-rounder in a pick-swap exchange) in the offseason. That is not too high a price for a one-year rental, but trading for a young, productive player at the end of his rookie deal suggests that Dallas made the move with the future in mind.
Go ahead and sign him and watch him destroy your already dysfunctional team
The only thing that Pickens is destroying is opposing defenses. Much like AJ Brown in Philly, he is a top-notch receiver and just wants to targeted by a good quarterback. The quarterbacks that Pittsburgh cycled through in his three years were an embarrassment.
Once again, they vonly care about the offense. They will never learn. IMO, I would have traded CeeDee before Parsons. You can find a cheap WR. KC and Mahomes are successful with that.
False narrative. The Osa, Diggs, and Bland contracts say otherwise. Parsons also would’ve been extended if JJ hadn’t gotten too cute by half in the negotiations. And comparing any offense (except maybe the Bills) to one that includes the incomparable Mahomes is a bad comparison.
yeah, it was an ego trade/power move by the owner-king plantation master. He thought Micah was being ungrateful. he figured what he was offering was a lot of money to people from Parsons’ socio-economic background. Wonder how much of the Parsons savings he diverted to Charlie Kirk’s gofundme?
I’d trade Parson way before Lamb. Ceedee has proven himself QB-proof; and there’s few WRs who come anywhere close to that level.
Off the top of my head I could name two that were nothing close to their usual level when their QB went down or left … buts it’s only Week 5 and I don’t want this post brought back if they turn it around lol
Thank you. There are some smart people on this site. DAL game planned around Parsons, like everyone did. They ran on him, passed on him, ran at him and away. A player getting 48 million doesn’t have that happen? Great player but not worth all the pieces DAL with get and afford by letting him go.
Michael Irvin once stabbed a teammate with a pair of scissors because he didn’t like the haircut he gave him. I think you are overblowing Pickens potential on that front.
I think you’re justified in stabbing someone if you get a haircut that looks like this…https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fb/1f/04/fb1f0495dc477bd79dbac745bb7b66e0–famous-celebrities-king.jpg
Jones is a delusional and probably senile at this point owner-king, but a competent front office would realize this team is going nowhere, let Pickens ball for another couple weeks while Lamb is out, then trade him before the trade deadline for improved draft compensation. They won’t beat the Patriots or Jaguars or San Diego or other receiver-needy teams that will be on the free agent market, so might as well maximize return now. But again, they would need a competent front office for that, not a senile owner-king.
San Diego got a Team again?!? Trade away somebody you just traded for a few months ago?!? You need to learn how the NFL works before you speak on it. You sound worse then Jerry
That would be the smart move. I don’t expect Jerry to do it or fans like you to understand it. Everyone has their own limitations.
Jones is delusional. A smart owner would hire a full time GM, rather than thinking he can do a better job in a part time role.
I disagree on Pickens though. GP completes the offense, they need to extend him. Why trade him for unproven draft picks when he has shown he’s a top notch WR. They have 6 picks in the top two rounds of the next two drafts. Invest heavily on the defensive side of the ball going forward and they will be more than competitive.
earm, there’s no doubt Pickens has talent. It’s the pouting, bad attitude and lack of hustle at times that’s the issues.
He fell to the second round of the draft due to major concerns surrounding his ACL injury and history of on-field immaturity. Despite his immense talent, these are the main reasons Pittsburgh traded him. I can’t think of a single WR trade the Steelers have made the last 20 years that they would regret. Maybe this is the one. Maybe not.
Pickens had FIVE different starting QBs throwing to him in just three years. And it was a murderer’s row of mediocrity: Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, an over the hill Russell Wilson, and an inconsistent Justin Fields. If I were an elite WR I’d be annoyed if the FO was cycling thru bad QB after bad QB. The Eagles are a championship team and AJ Brown is annoyed that Hurts can’t throw a catchable ball.
As for the draft, it might be more accurate to say that he fell to the second round due to a Major concern over his recovery from ACL surgery, plus a glut of WR talent coming out that year (4 picks in the top 12, including Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jameson Williams, and 13 (!) WRs thru pick 54), and some minor character concerns (punched another player and a team suspension for a team rule violation).
The problems in Pittsburgh were also minor, especially when compared to other players across the NFL. Pickens played 48 games in his first 3 years, and put up quality numbers despite mediocre QB play.
As for prior problem WRs in Pitt, that has nothing to do with GP, but does help explain the team’s seemingly short leash with WRs.
In the end, the “problems” are minor immaturity issues. He just turned 24 this spring in his 4th season. The Cowboys avoided drafting Randy Moss over minor character issues, and he punished them for years thereafter.
Pickens has a unique skill set that fits the Cowboys needs perfectly. They need to sign him to an extension.
Pickens has been a bit immature, but you are right, in my opinion. As far as the comments above, some of them (not all) just seem to focus on the Jones hate fetish without actually considering the specific circumstances of Pickens’ situation.
Dallas clearly traded for Pickens with the idea that they would extend him. Pickens has obviously been very good (or at the very least, adequate) on the field, and runs a mostly complete route tree. He’s six years away from 30, which could probably be two contracts’ worth of play, so he could potentially become a long term player. He’s not elite with his physical traits, but he’s very good with pretty much all of them (good size/weight, good speed, good quickness), so he can potentially do a lot more than a singular role as a WR. As long as Pickens produces, which he has, it’s a no-brainer for Dallas to extend him.