Jerry Jones: ‘Of Course’ Cowboys Want To Keep George Pickens
The Cowboys rallied from 21 points down to pull off a 24-21 win over the NFC East rival Eagles on Sunday. Wide receiver George Pickens was among the driving forces behind the team’s stunning comeback. The first-year Cowboy hauled in nine of Dak Prescott‘s passes for the second game in a row, racked up 146 yards, and scored a touchdown.
After a productive three-year run in Pittsburgh, which traded him in May, Pickens has found another gear with a change of scenery. The 24-year-old ranks second in the NFL in yards (1,054), third in TDs (a career-high eight), and eighth in catches (67, also a personal best). With Pickens scheduled to reach free agency in the offseason, he’s enjoying a breakout year at the right time.
While a trip to the open market would prove lucrative for Pickens, odds are he won’t get there. Even if Dallas and Pickens are unable to reach a long-term agreement before free agency begins in March, it seems likely the team will place the franchise tag on the wideout.
The tag would cost the Cowboys around $28MM, but it appears they’d be willing to make a longer commitment. The goal is to keep Pickens in the fold beyond 2026, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
The two sides have not begun contract talks, according to Rapoport, but a tagged Pickens would be eligible for an extension until July 2026. That would give team and player a few months to work something out. The Cowboys haven’t used the tag on a receiver since Dez Bryant in March 2015. They ended up extending Bryant that July.
Neither Pickens nor his representatives at Athletes First would be thrilled with the tag, per Rapoport, who notes trading him for picks could be an option for the Cowboys if they can’t extend him. They’d prefer to avoid that, though.
Notably, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and one of Pickens’ agents, David Mulugheta, clashed during contract negotations for Micah Parsons last summer. After a long and contentious standoff, the Cowboys wound up trading Parsons to the Packers in a late-August blockbuster. The history between Jones and Mulugheta may not bode well on paper, though team sources told Rapoport it won’t stand in the way of a potential Pickens deal.
After watching Pickens help the Cowboys improve to 5-5-1 and stay in the playoff hunt in Week 12, Jones lavished praise on the star pass catcher, saying (via Jon Machota of The Athletic): “We are proud we’ve got him and I don’t know of anyone that has helped his team any more to win this year.”
When asked if he wants Pickens to stay with the Cowboys in 2026, Jones left no doubt.
“Of course, of course we are proud to have him and I don’t even want to play games with it, we’d love to have him on the team,” Jones said.
The Cowboys already have one massive receiver contract on their books after Jones authorized a four-year, $136MM extension for CeeDee Lamb in August 2024. Lamb is one of 10 receivers averaging upward of $30MM per year. Pickens is making a case to join him on an enormous multiyear pact of his own. At the very least, Pickens will approach the $30MM figure next season if he plays under the tag.
Browns’ Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski On Hot Seat?
The Browns are destined for their second-straight losing season, and it seems like Browns owner Jimmy Haslam may finally be willing to make some leadership changes. Mike Jones of The Athletic wrote about the situation this past weekend, noting that the Browns will consider multiple paths as they look to revive the organization.
[RELATED: Colorado Rockies Hire Browns’ Paul DePodesta]
According to Jones, some believe Haslam is ready to “clean house.” There are other league insiders who believe GM Andrew Berry may be safe while head coach Kevin Stefanski will be the lone scapegoat for another lost season. The duo was added ahead of the 2020 campaign and immediately guided the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The team hovered around .500 over the next two years before another playoff appearance in 2023. However, the team has bottomed out over the past year-plus, compiling a 6-22 record.
The head coach’s hot seat isn’t overly surprising. While Stefanski has earned a pair of Coach of the Year awards since joining Cleveland, he still has a losing record in five-plus seasons with the organization. While the team’s revolving door at QB hasn’t helped the coach’s cause, the offensive-minded Stefanski has also struggled recently to get that unit on track, leading to him handing over offensive play-calling duties in each of the past two seasons.
Berry’s situation is a bit more unique. As Jones writes, there’s a belief that the general manager may have had more recent success if not for the “meddlesome ways of ownership.” This obviously includes the Deshaun Watson acquisition and the subsequent commitment of $230MM in guaranteed money. Perhaps Haslam will be willing to give his top executive an opportunity to clean up the mess, although that may also require the owner to acknowledge that he played a key role in the team’s recent demise.
The front office is already seeing a bit of a transition, as longtime Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta returned to Major League Baseball as the Colorado Rockies head of baseball operations. Albert Breer of SI.com recently wrote that DePodesta’s Cleveland role was always “mysterious,” although he did work extensively with Berry. Breer adds that the Browns organization isn’t expected to replace DePodesta.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR K.J. Osborn
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Dominique Hampton, TE Qadir Ismail, DL Jeremiah Martin
- Placed on IR: TE Nikola Kalinic
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OT Marques Cox
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Ameer Speed
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Jimmy Holiday
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Maximilian Mang
- Released: K Jude McAtamney
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Anthony Goodlow
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/24/25
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Practice window opened: OL Tylan Grable
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: LB Krys Barnes, RB DeeJay Dallas
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: QB Sean Clifford
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: S Tanner Ingle
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: K Matt Gay, LB Jalen Graham
The Bills should soon get some extra OL depth, as Grable returned to practice today. The former sixth-round pick landed on IR before the start of the season thanks to concussion symptoms, and that ended up keeping him off the practice field for months. Now, the Bills will have 21 days to consider adding the second-year player to the active roster. As a rookie in 2024, the UCF product got into four games (one start).
Bills Work Out DE Shaq Lawson
The Bills had a familiar face in for a workout today. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, defensive end Shaq Lawson was in Buffalo for a tryout.
It’s been more than a year since we last heard from Lawson. The pass rusher caught on with the Panthers practice squad back in October of 2024, but he got into only one game with the big-league club before getting cut. Since then, Lawson hasn’t garnered a reported tryout until today.
If Lawson does end up catching on with the Bills, it would represent his third stint with the organization. Lawson first joined the Bills as a first-round pick in 2016, and he proceeded to compile 16.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss through his first four seasons in the league. By virtue of having his fifth-year option declined, Lawson caught on with the Dolphins in 2020 via a three-year, $30MM deal. He only lasted one season in Miami before continuing his tour of the AFC East, as he got into 14 games with the Jets in 2021 (with a brief stop in Houston in between).
He returned to Buffalo for the 2022 campaign and spent two more years with the franchise. In that second stint with the Bills, Lawson added another 4.5 sacks to his resume in 31 games.
The Bills haven’t been afraid of adding old friends in 2025, as the team has had reunions with wide receiver Gabe Davis and safety Jordan Poyer. The team shouldn’t expect too much from Lawson in what would be his age-31 season, but he would add some pass-rush help to a unit that’s currently paced by Joey Bosa‘s four sacks.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Suffers Sprain In Non-Throwing Shoulder
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a sprain to his left, non-throwing shoulder on Sunday against the Rams, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Mayfield left midway through the game and did not return to the field. He could be seen on the sidelines sporting a sling on his left arm as backup Teddy Bridgewater closed out the 34-7 loss. Bridgewater would start if Mayfield has to miss any time.
An MRI on Monday confirmed the initial suspicion that Mayfield suffered a sprained AC joint. The sprain is considered “low-grade” (via Rapoport) and there was no additional damage to Mayfield’s shoulder, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 30-year-old’s status for next week’s game against the Cardinals is still up in the air, but he appears to have avoided a major injury that could have seriously threatened the Buccaneers’ playoff chances.
After a strong start to the season, Tampa Bay’s lead in the NFC South has evaporated. At 6-5, they are now tied for first place with Carolina, and though the Buccaneers hold the tiebreaker, they have lost three straight while the Panthers have won five of their last seven. An absence from Mayfield would be a huge blow to an offense that floundered without him on Sunday, though the Bucs do have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the year. Their next three opponents are a combined 9-24 on the season; after that are two crucial matchups with the Panthers with a game against the 4-7 Dolphins.
Mayfield’s Week 13 status is still up in the air, but he has played through a number of injuries in his career. Since the injury is to his non-throwing shoulder, he may choose to wear a brace or some other protective equipment and attempt to take the field in Week 13 anyway. Tampa Bay could also try to beat the 3-8 Cardinals next week without Mayfield in the hopes that a week off will give his shoulder enough time to heal up for the final stretch of the year.
Dolphins To Designate TE Darren Waller To Return From IR
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques) that tight end Darren Waller will be designated to return from injured reserve this week.
Waller suffered a pectoral strain in Week 7 and landed on IR shortly after. After four games on the sidelines, he is now eligible to return to the field. This was his second absence this season; he missed Miami’s first three games due to a hip injury suffered in training camp.
In his three games before getting injured, Waller caught 10 of his 12 targets for 117 yards and four touchdowns. His averages of 39 yards. 1.3 touchdowns, and 3.3 receptions per game are the best numbers of any Dolphins tight end in the McDaniel era outside of Jonnu Smith. That makes sense considering the fact that Waller came out of retirement this offseason to replace Smith in Miami after he was traded to the Steelers as part of the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick swap.
Dolphins tight ends Julian Hill and Tanner Conner have offered precious little production this year, but Greg Dulcich has stepped up since taking Waller’s spot on the 53-man roster. He has eight catches for 89 yards in his last three games, but none of Miami’s TEs have scored a touchdown all season.
Waller will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending IR.
Commanders Open Noah Brown’s Practice Window; Latest On Jayden Daniels
The Commanders remain shorthanded on offense but at least one member of the unit could return this week. Receiver Noah Brown has returned to practice, per a team announcement. 
As a result, Brown’s 21-day activation window has been opened. He can be moved from injured reserve to the active roster at any point during that time. The ninth-year receiver has been limited to just two games in 2025 and has been on IR since mid-October.
A groin injury has left Brown unavailable for much of the current campaign, his second as a member of the Commanders. The former Cowboys seventh-rounder was among the players who followed Dan Quinn from Dallas to Washington last offseason, a move which allowed him to continue operating as a complementary pass-catching presence. Brown totaled 453 yards in 11 games during his first season in the nation’s capital.
A similar showing in 2025 would have come as little surprise, even with the Commanders adding a new receiver starter in the form of Deebo Samuel. Instead, Brown has been sidelined most of the year, making only three scoreless catches to date. The 29-year-old is a pending free agent, so any production down the stretch would be key in his case.
Coming off their bye week, the Commanders are 3-8 on the year. After a surprise run to the NFC title game in 2024, things have regressed to a large extent for Washington. Attention down the stretch will turn in large part to the health of quarterback Jayden Daniels. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is still dealing with the elbow injury he suffered late in the team’s blowout loss to the Seahawks.
Daniels’ non-throwing elbow was injured at that point, leading to Marcus Mariota taking over starting duties. The veteran is in line to make at least one more start for Washington. Quinn said (via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala) Daniels is set to return to practice this week, but he noted he has not yet been cleared for contact. As a result, Mariota can be expected to handle QB1 duties in Week 13 against the Broncos.
Uncertainty has loomed over Daniels’ recovery timeline. Based on Quinn’s update, though, a return with some time to spare in the season will be a possibility. By the time Washington’s starting quarterback is in play to suit up, a better health situation at the WR spot could also be in store.
Saints Waive Brandin Cooks; Latest On WR’s Contract Restructure
NOVEMBER 24: As expected, Cooks has cleared waivers (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter). He is now a free agent.
NOVEMBER 23: The Saints have officially put veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks on waivers, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio passes along a few of the “contractual technicalities” that were referenced in prior reporting on Cooks’ impending departure, technicalities which held up the transaction.
Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football had reported that Cooks negotiated his contract downward to facilitate his exit, which appears to be true to a degree. Per Florio, the 32-year-old wideout gave up his right to $420K in termination pay, which would not have been offset by the salary an acquiring team will have to give him.
In exchange, the team that originally drafted Cooks increased his guaranteed pay for 2026 – the final year of the two-year pact he signed this offseason – from $1.69MM to $5.94MM. A team claiming Cooks off waivers would have to absorb his contract, so bumping up the guaranteed money on the deal makes it more likely he will pass through waivers unclaimed, thus making him a free agent and therefore able to sign with any team he wants (read: a playoff contender).
Of course, the perennially cap-strapped Saints would not willingly put themselves on the hook for more money for a player they are trying to remove from the roster, so the revised contract also created a window for New Orleans to cut Cooks in a way that absolves the team of its 2026 obligation to him. The problem, according to Florio, is that league rules specifically prohibit a team from modifying a contract to deter a waiver claim, which is precisely what the Saints have done.
However, it presently appears as if the NFL is allowing the waiver process to move forward. One high-ranking official with another club expressed shock at the league’s willingness to do so, and the NFL has not responded to Florio’s request for comment or clarification.
Absent some sort of about-face on the league’s part, it looks like Cooks and the Saints will achieve their desired outcome and Cooks will soon hit the open market. As our Connor Byrne noted in the story linked above, a number of contending teams – including the Bills, Broncos, and Steelers – were in the hunt for a receiver at the trade deadline but were unable to land one. They are among the clubs that could show interest in Cooks if he does, in fact, become an FA.
The former first-round pick has 19 catches for 165 scoreless yards in 2025.
Eagles S Andrew Mukuba To Go On IR After Ankle Surgery
The Eagles are expected to place rookie safety Andrew Mukuba on injured reserve after he fractured his ankle late in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Mukuba, 22, was a second-round pick (No. 64 overall) in April’s draft and immediately took over a starting safety job in Philadelphia. He has played 93% of the team’s defensive snaps this season with 46 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions.
Mukuba will require surgery and is not certain to return this season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He was carted off the field and had to be assisted into the locker room, per ESPN’s Tim McManus; after the game, he was wearing a walking boot and using crutches, according to Jeff McLaine of The Philadelphia Inquirer. To make matters worse for Philadelphia’s secondary, their other starting safety, Reed Blankenship, also left the game and did not return.
The injuries could put the Eagles in a tough spot. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio primarily uses two-high safety looks, and Mukuba and Blankenship have combined for 1,037 snaps as free safeties this season. The next-highest total on the team is 54 from backup safety Sydney Brown. He will step into a starting role with Mukuba sidelined, but if Blankenship misses time, Fangio will be scrambling for another option.
Philadelphia does not have another safety on their 53-man roster and only one on their practice squad. That would be second-year UDFA Andre’ Sam who has yet to play this season and did not appear on defense as a rookie. Veteran Marcus Epps is on injured reserve and will not be eligible to return for another week. Cornerback Cooper DeJean has the skillset to play safety, but very little experience in college or the NFL.
The Eagles’ next game is on Black Friday, giving them a short window to evaluate Blankenship’s injury and figure out a plan for their secondary. They may need to check in on available free agents and potentially host a few for workouts. Even if Blankenship is available for Week 13,