Cowboys owner Jerry Jones met with George Pickens in Dallas on Thursday before flying to Indy for the Scouting Combine on Friday. Jerry Jones wanted to let Pickens know first hand about the tag and how much the Cowboys valued him and wanted to keep him, per vice president Stephen Jones. “We couldn’t take the chance on losing him,” Stephen Jones said to @DLLS_Cowboys. “George was fired up, excited. He said I don’t want to play anywhere but with the Cowboys. That’s what we suspected. It was all good.”

George Pickens delivered in a big way during his first season with the Dallas Cowboys, and now comes the hard part. The wide receiver finished the 2025 NFL season with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, all career highs, doing it on 137 targets in a contract year.

That kind of production gives him serious leverage heading into free agency and puts the Dallas front office in a tough spot. Keeping him is the obvious move. Getting a deal done without creating roster problems around him is the tricky part.

Recent reports suggested that executive vice president Stephen Jones indicated the Cowboys are leaning toward placing the franchise tag on Pickens. That approach has some logic to it, but it also comes with risk.

NFL reporter Ian Rapoport recently spoke with 105.3 The FAN and laid out exactly why that path could get messy. Pickens is represented by David Mulugheta, the same agent who handled Micah Parsons’ situation in Dallas.

Cowboys fans know how that one ended. Parsons, with a year left on his rookie deal, was eventually traded to the Green Bay Packers despite earlier signals that it would not happen.

“David Mulugheta does not like the tag. He is not a fan. He’s had guys who have been on the tag. He does not like it,” Rapoport said. “So I don’t know what George Pickens is gonna do. I just know, historically, you may not see him for a bit.

“You wanted him for the offseason program? Good luck. Because generally those guys don’t sign in March, they sign in late August. If they sign in late August. Because he doesn’t have to. So, if you tag Pickens and don’t do a deal, it’s gonna be a while, and it’s gonna be a saga.”

The franchise tag window runs through Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. After that a second deadline on July 15 gives both sides a shot at a long-term deal. Miss that date, and Pickens plays the season on the tag.

After the year he just had, it is worth asking whether Pickens would have any interest in that outcome. He already proved he can handle WR1 responsibilities while playing next to one of the NFL’s elite pass-catchers in CeeDee Lamb.

Cowboys fans will hope this contract negotiation ends in a much different way than last year’s contentious parting of ways with Parsons.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.