Todd ArcherApr 23, 2026, 06:12 PM ETCloseTodd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.Follow on XMultiple Authors
What’s next for Pickens, Cowboys with no long-term deal? (1:40)Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee and reacts to the Cowboys’ decision to make George Pickens play on the franchise tag. (1:40)
FRISCO, Texas — A day after the Dallas Cowboys revealed they would not enter into negotiations on a long-term deal, wide receiver George Pickens will sign his franchise tag tender, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
The move guarantees Pickens will make $27.3 million this season, and he will report to the mandatory minicamp in June and training camp or be subject to fines. It also opens up the possibility of Pickens being traded.
Before he could be dealt, he would have had to sign the tender, although there have been no trade discussions with other teams, according to a source. Had Pickens signed an offer sheet with another team, then the Cowboys would have received two first-round draft picks, although they could agree to another form of compensation if they chose.
On Wednesday, executive vice president Stephen Jones announced that the organization had a conversation with Pickens’ agent, David Mulugheta, that they would not have contract talks.
Lamb is in the midst of a contract paying him $34 million a year. Prescott makes $60 million a year.
Last May, the Cowboys acquired Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 fifth-rounder. He responded with the best year of his career, establishing career highs in catches (93), yards (1,429) and touchdowns (nine).
The Cowboys have had Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Tony Pollard play a season on the tag. The Cowboys reached long-term deals with Prescott and Lawrence after they used the tag for a second time. Schultz and Pollard left via free agency after one season under the tag.
With another big season in 2026, Pickens’ market would likely be higher than it is now, although the Cowboys could use the tag on him a second time at a cost of roughly $33 million. Or, without a long-term deal, they could allow him to walk away, like Schultz and Pollard, and receive a compensatory pick in 2028 in return.
“I mean let’s start with the fact that it’s not easy having two receivers [CeeDee Lamb] being paid top of the market,” Jones said. “I mean that’s obviously a stretch, especially when you have other great players on your team. A quarterback [Dak Prescott] that’s been here, being the highest-paid player in this league for many years now. Certainly, that’s part of it. The other thing is the newness of George being here. I think George has just done an amazing job. I mean he’s exceeded all expectations, I think, [of] anybody or we wouldn’t have gotten [him] for a third-round pick. So that’s a plus. And a lot of those things, they make their way toward a long-term deal, but that’s the biggest part of it — between the business and newness of it, I think that’s a big part of it.”
What’s next for Pickens, Cowboys with no long-term deal? (1:40)Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee and reacts to the Cowboys’ decision to make George Pickens play on the franchise tag. (1:40)
Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee and reacts to the Cowboys’ decision to make George Pickens play on the franchise tag. (1:40)
Todd ArcherApr 23, 2026, 06:12 PM ETCloseTodd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseTodd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.Follow on X
As of early Thursday evening, Pickens had not yet signed the tender.
The Cowboys are taking a wait-and-see approach as Pickens enters his second year with the team.