George Pickens‘ first season with the Cowboys has exceeded expectations. His first trip to free agency will be something to watch closely as a result, in the event he manages to reach the open market.

After another productive game yesterday, Pickens sits second in the NFL in receiving yards (1,142), third in touchdowns (eight) and seventh in catches (73). A strong desire exists on the part of the Cowboys to keep the 24-year-old in the fold, but doing so will of course require a major financial investment. Pairing Pickens with fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb is something owner Jerry Jones remains open to.

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer), “at this time we’ve got two No. 1 receivers and that’s just exceptional right at the time when – guess what – our quarterback is probably the best he’s ever been and there’s more there.”

Indeed, Dak Prescott has enjoyed a highly productive campaign in 2025. He and Lamb are attached to big-ticket contracts, leading many to wonder if fitting a Pickens one into the Cowboys’ financial plans will be feasible. To no surprise, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano write Pickens will be seeking a long-term pact this spring. No talks on a Cowboys extension have taken place, but it is clear at this point any multi-year commitment will move the former second-rounder near the top of the WR market in terms of compensation.

The alternative to a long-term Pickens contract would be the franchise tag. The ESPN duo as well as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport note (video link) the tag is a distinct possibility in this case. Using the one-year tender on Pickens would set him up for roughly $28MM in 2026 compensation. It would also prevent the Georgia product from being able to gauge interest from free agent suitors.

Jones and the Cowboys have not been shy about using the franchise tag over the years, so it would come as little surprise if that were to be the outcome in Pickens’ case. Dallas has won three straight games to move to 6-5-1 on the year. If the Cowboys manage to reach the playoffs, a strong finish from Pickens and the offense will no doubt prove to be a major factor.

That could help his case for a monster contract from the Cowboys or another team. For now, though, the franchise tag looms as an option to at least ensure Pickens will spend two seasons in Dallas.

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.

Unsigned beyond this year, Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens could become one of the most coveted free agents available when the market opens in March. Pickens said on Oct. 30 that he and the Cowboys had yet to discuss a new contract (via Jon Machota of The Athletic).

On the possibility of an extension, Pickens said: “That’s kinda up to what (Jerry Jones) wants to do. All I can do is perform at my best.”

If Jones and Pickens’ camp don’t reach an agreement before free agency begins, the team’s longtime owner could place the franchise tag on the Cowboys’ No. 2 wideout. Doing so would cost Dallas approximately $29MM, but it has “a strong likelihood” of happening, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. That’s assuming the relationship between the two sides doesn’t hit a snag in the coming months, Graziano notes.

A second-round pick from Georgia in 2022, Pickens was productive over the first three seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. The Steelers bailed on Pickens last offseason, though, trading him and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder.

Pickens averaged around 16 games, 59 catches, 947 yards, and four touchdowns per year as a Steeler, but they moved on after some rocky moments. Toward the end of his tenure with the Steelers, he was late for their Christmas Day game against the Chiefs. That came a few weeks after Pickens took a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a win over the Bengals, leading head coach Mike Tomlin to declare that the offensive weapon needed to “grow up in a hurry.” 

After the trade occurred in May, Steelers general manager Omar Khan told the media that “a fresh start for both sides was the right thing.” Six months later, the Cowboys surely don’t regret taking the gamble.

While the Cowboys are a lackluster 3-5-1, Pickens has done his part to keep the team afloat during a career year. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has racked up 49 catches, 764 yards, and six scores in nine games. He’s third in the NFL with 12 receptions of 20-plus yards and tied for fourth in TD grabs.

Pickens stepped up as the Cowboys’ WR1 when CeeDee Lamb missed three full games and most of another one with a high ankle sprain earlier in the season. Lamb returned in Week 7, but Pickens has continued to post strong numbers since then. They’ve given quarterback Dak Prescott an elite one-two punch.

Despite Pickens’ success this year, some league executives are concerned about his inconsistency, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Still, his production and age (he won’t turn 25 until March) are a tantalizing combination. A high-priced multiyear deal should be in order if Pickens reaches free agency. Jones hasn’t been shy about using the franchise tag for integral offensive pieces, though, having done so for Prescott, running back Tony Pollard, and tight end Dalton Schultz in recent years.

Barring an extension, Pickens has a realistic chance to become the first Cowboys receiver to get the tag since they placed it on Dez Bryant in 2015. The Cowboys and Bryant hammered out a lucrative extension several months later. Pickens could meet a similar fate, though other options – including playing out the 2026 season on the tag or ending up in another trade – may be on the table.

Acquired from the Steelers last spring, Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has gotten off to a fast start in his first season in Dallas. This could go down as Pickens’ only season in Dallas, though, as the team has not discussed a contract extension with the soon-to-be free agent or his representatives, according to Ed Werder of WFAA.

Werder’s report comes just a week after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed interest in locking up Pickens to a new deal.

“Any and everything about George Pickens has crossed our minds,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “Certainly he’s a topic of interest and discussions because of the success he’s having.”

Pickens expressed an openness to a Dallas extension back in August, but the price tag has likely gone up since then. During his three-season run in Pittsburgh, the former Georgia Bulldog averaged approximately 16 games, 59 catches, 947 yards, and four touchdowns per year. That’s solid production, albeit far from elite, and there was drama along the way.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said last December that Pickens needed to “grow up in a hurry” after he took two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a win over the Bengals. A few weeks later, Pickens showed up late for the Steelers’ Christmas Day game against the Chiefs, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reported last January. After trading Pickens to the Cowboys, Steelers general manager Omar Kahn stated that “a fresh start for both sides was the right thing.”

The “fresh start” has worked out well for Pickens and the Cowboys. Pickens has been an integral cog in one of the league’s most productive offenses, and there haven’t been any known issues behind the scenes. With 43 catches and 685 yards through eight games, Pickens is easily on track to surpass his career highs of 63 and 1,140 in those categories. He has already hauled in a personal-best six touchdowns.

Between Pickens’ spike in production and a lack of high-end receivers due to reach free agency in the offseason, the 24-year-old could push for a long-term deal in the $30MM-per-annum vicinity. That would be a hefty commitment for a Dallas team that’s already paying No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb $34MM per season on the four-year, $136MM pact it awarded him in August 2024. If the Cowboys are unable to hammer out a multiyear arrangement with Pickens, Werder points to the franchise tag as a possibility. That would cost the Cowboys around $28MM in 2026.

OCTOBER 21: During his latest appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones confirmed (via Machota) the Cowboys have had conversations about a Pickens extension. It will be interesting to see if a deal is worked out before the end of the campaign of if the parties elect to wait until the spring to engage in serious contract talks.

OCTOBER 20: After George Pickens was traded from the Steelers to the Cowboys, no extension was worked out. The pending free agent wideout said in May he was focused on his performance in 2025, knowing a strong showing would boost his market value this spring.

So far, things have certainly gone well in Pickens’ debut Dallas campaign. The 24-year-old has racked up 607 yards and is tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions with six through seven games. Part of that production can be attributed to CeeDee Lamb‘s absence, but with both of the Cowboys’ top receivers now back in the fold it will be interesting to see if Pickens can continue his strong start.

The former second-rounder said in August he would be open to the idea of remaining in Dallas past 2025. A decision on that front will of course depend largely on how the rest of the season plays out, but Pickens has enjoyed his time with the team to date. As a result, his latest comments on the matter confirm an extension (or at least a re-signing prior to the start of free agency) could be in store.

“I wouldn’t mind it,” Pickens said when asked about the possibility of re-upping with the Cowboys (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “The guys in the locker room are super cool, the energy is great. I always want to showcase my talents.”

On-field production is of course only one factor to consider in this instance in particular. The Steelers elected to move on from Pickens following the 2024 campaign due in no small part to concerns over his attitude and professionalism. Indeed, a small market was in store on the trade market despite the Georgia product’s substantial upside. Pickens already has one 1,000-yard campaign to his name and he is well on his way to another in 2025.

“He is doing more than we did expect or that we could have expected,” owner Jerry Jones said when speaking about Pickens and the possibility of a new deal in his case. “What’s really special is he’s a real plus to have around the team. He’s a real plus around his teammates, he’s a great plus around those coaches… We knew full well that if things really went like we want them to go that certainly we need to think about having some [salary cap] room available if we’re going to pay a second receiver at that level.”

Lamb is attached to a $34MM-per-year deal signed last summer, tying him to the Cowboys for the long term. Making another major receiver investment by retaining Pickens would have major cap implications, although of course the Micah Parsons trade created financial flexibility for future contracts. Earlier this month, Jones stated a willingness to keep Pickens in the fold. If that sentiment – which looks to be mutual – holds through the coming months, a long-term arrangement could be worked out.

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.

Once his third Steelers campaign came to an end, it was decided George Pickens would not continue his career in Pittsburgh. A trade was ultimately worked out which allowed the Cowboys to add him to their receiving corps.

Pickens has one year remaining on his rookie deal, so an extension would have been possible upon arrival. Instead, the 24-year-old’s attention is focused on playing out his contract year, meaning this could prove to be a one-year rental for Dallas. Pickens’ first impressions with the Cowboys have been positive, though.

“Oh yeah, most definitely,” the former second-rounder said (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) when asked if would be open to remaining in Dallas beyond the coming season. “Because I’ve watched the team for so long, and the camaraderie. I kind of understand the camaraderie more than I did in Pittsburgh… I think I definitely understand it more here, the people more here than I did [with the Steelers].”

Off-field issues such as character and punctuality were talking points during Pickens’ time in Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Tomlin went as far as publicly noting the Georgia product needed to “grow up,” making it little surprise a parting of ways was deemed beneficial for all involved. Pickens striking an optimistic tone with respect to his acclimation with his new team only means so much before the regular season has even started, of course, but it is at least a positive start to his Dallas tenure.

The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb attached to a $34MM-per-year pact through the 2028 season. He will be counted on to continue operating as the team’s No. 1 receiver this year and for many more after that, but intrigue exists with Pickens in the fold as the second member of what could be a strong tandem. Averaging 16.3 yards per reception across his three Steelers campaigns, Pickens established himself as one of the league’s best vertical threats. Another productive season this year will set him up well in free agency.

A second contract will be lucrative regardless of where it comes from if Pickens can deliver on expectations in 2025. At this point, at least, the door is open to his next pact allowing him to stay in place with the Cowboys.