When the Cowboys sent a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Steelers for wide receiver George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick, Dallas inherited the final year of Pickens’ rookie contract, along with a $3.656 million salary.
They get excellent value for money, by far.
Pickens has scored six touchdowns in the last five games. He caught nine passes for 168 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers. He had two 100-yard games in the three games CeeDee Lamb missed with a high ankle sprain.
Pickens is earning his next contract, one game at a time. Appearing Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked if the team was ready to begin discussions with Pickens about an extension.
“We’re always looking at what we can do to improve financially where we are,” Jones said. “Now, you can’t get better financially without getting value for your money. That’s a misnomer. You’ve got to have the talent, you’ve got to have the players, and I know you’re saying, ‘Well, duh, that was supposed to be in the question.’ Well, the fact is we’ll take a hard look at what we’re doing financially, take a hard look at what we’re doing out there with George, and I can’t tell you how proud I personally am of George because he’s absolutely as exciting as he’s been on the field for us. He’s been that kind of teammate and he’s an inspiration. Our coaches. . . enjoy coaching him. I will not speak on behalf of players, but he’s a great teammate in my eyes, and of course, when we got him, there was a problem with, “Well, it might be his way…his personality.” “Well, I’ll tell you this, I’ll take that jumpsuit we have with him any day.
The day is soon approaching when the Cowboys will have to make a decision: extend him, tag him, or let him leave as a free agent.
He’ll want a contract worth $30 million or more per year, and he’s proving he’s worth it. The franchise tag for receivers in 2026 will surely be more than $25 million. (It was $23.958 million for 2025.)
It will be difficult for the Cowboys to justify this kind of investment, given the resources already devoted to receiver CeeDee Lamb ($34 million per year).
Some have suggested the Cowboys should trade Pickens now, before the deadline. It’s not a crazy idea, considering it won’t be easy to keep him. The best approach might be to tag and trade Pickens in early 2026, which would give them Pickens for the remainder of the season. And if he finishes strong, Pickens could be worth even more later than he would get when the trade deadline arrives in three weeks.
Regardless, the better Pickens plays, the harder it will be to guard him. Especially since all negotiations will take place with agent David Mulugheta – the same person Jones tried to bypass during direct negotiations with Micah Parsons.
