The Dallas Cowboys’ quest to sign wide receiver George Pickens to a long-term contract is expected to face hurdles, as any negotiation does, but it may ultimately be anticlimactic.
For his Sports Illustrated mailbag column, NFL senior reporter Albert Breer answered a fan question about how Pickens’ negotiations with other teams are going.
“I’d be stunned if anyone was willing to give up two first-rounders and a monster contract for Pickens,” Breer wrote. “So, I wouldn’t count on much on that front.”
In late February, the Cowboys placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pickens, 25, allowing him to negotiate with other teams while Dallas attempts to lock him in long-term.
Under the non-exclusive tag, Dallas holds the right of first refusal. If Pickens signs an offer sheet with another team, the Cowboys would have five days to match it. If Dallas declined to match the other team’s offer, Pickens’ new team would owe Dallas “draft-choice compensation equivalent to two first-round picks,” per the NFL.
The Cowboys and Pickens’ representation have until July 15 at 4 p.m. EST to come to terms on a long-term contract. Otherwise, Pickens will play next season on the one-year, $27.298 million tag.
This week, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks signed star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million extension, making JSN the league’s highest-paid wide receiver (via ESPN). JSN’s new deal reset the wide receiver market and almost assuredly created a new starting point in the Cowboys-Pickens negotiations.
In his first season with the Cowboys, Pickens quickly became quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite target. In 2025, Pickens led the Cowboys in his first year with the team with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns on 93 catches — all career-highs. Pickens ranked third among all qualified receivers in yards — behind JSN and Los Angeles Rams All-Pro Puka Nacua — fourth in yards per game (84.1), and eighth in receptions.
Pickens holds leverage because he is fresh off a dominant year and elevated the Cowboys’ offensive ceiling by perfectly complementing All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, which justifies asking for a deal close to JSN’s. But the Cowboys hold the ultimate leverage to ensure Pickens stays a Cowboy for one more season if no other team is willing to offer a haul to poach him.
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