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The Dallas Cowboys appear to have learned from their mistakes after the Micah Parsons debacle last season.
A great sign for the Cowboys, but an unfortunate circumstance for wideout George Pickens, who's looking to cash in, just like Parsons. Instead of a public back-and-forth in the media, Dallas leveraged Pickens' reputation against him by placing the non-exclusive tag on him. Teams could have signed Pickens to an offer sheet, but would've had to negotiate compensation with Dallas.
Pickens' response, arrive at the Cowboys mandatory minicamp as if nothing has changed. While he’s been limited since arriving, Pickens has seemingly been a model citizen, answering tough questions from the media and putting in work on the practice field. This is a far cry from last season when Parsons arrived as a non-participant and hold-in. Both players have the same super-agent, David Mulugheta, but Pickens’ situation is a bit tougher to navigate; it helps when your offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams, praises the person.
Related: The big picture the Cowboys likely saw when trading for George Pickens
Pickens basically had two options: show up and hold out, much like Parsons did last season, or show up, participate, and prove to Dallas and other teams around the league that antics from his time while with the Pittsburgh Steelers are behind him. The first would have confirmed what has caused teams to hesitate making significant offers for him.
The Cowboys created the perfect trap for Pickens and his aggressive agent, David Mulugheta. Now, the duo is stuck walking a tightrope: prove he’s changed without risking injury or regression.
From Pickens’ responses to media questions, he skipped the Cowboys' voluntary workouts per his agent's recommendation. But it doesn’t seem as though there was a doubt he would show up to, and fully participate in, the Cowboys' mandatory camp. Pickens seems to be going about this the right way; now, he just needs to make sure he can stay healthy while generating similar stats to last season. If he can do that, then he’s on track to cash in next season, whether it be with Dallas or another team.
But even that “best-case” scenario comes with a catch. If Pickens thrives, Dallas still controls the board. They can tag him again, forcing interested teams to pay up in draft capital or wait out a complicated cap situation and pay him when the dust settles. This isn’t just strategy, it's leverage stacked on leverage. And right now, the Cowboys control the board, but right now, it looks like Pickens is playing the game the right way.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: George Pickens keeps it cool, shows up at Cowboys minicamp with plan
Continue reading...
A great sign for the Cowboys, but an unfortunate circumstance for wideout George Pickens, who's looking to cash in, just like Parsons. Instead of a public back-and-forth in the media, Dallas leveraged Pickens' reputation against him by placing the non-exclusive tag on him. Teams could have signed Pickens to an offer sheet, but would've had to negotiate compensation with Dallas.
Pickens' response, arrive at the Cowboys mandatory minicamp as if nothing has changed. While he’s been limited since arriving, Pickens has seemingly been a model citizen, answering tough questions from the media and putting in work on the practice field. This is a far cry from last season when Parsons arrived as a non-participant and hold-in. Both players have the same super-agent, David Mulugheta, but Pickens’ situation is a bit tougher to navigate; it helps when your offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams, praises the person.
Related: The big picture the Cowboys likely saw when trading for George Pickens
Pickens basically had two options: show up and hold out, much like Parsons did last season, or show up, participate, and prove to Dallas and other teams around the league that antics from his time while with the Pittsburgh Steelers are behind him. The first would have confirmed what has caused teams to hesitate making significant offers for him.
The Cowboys created the perfect trap for Pickens and his aggressive agent, David Mulugheta. Now, the duo is stuck walking a tightrope: prove he’s changed without risking injury or regression.
From Pickens’ responses to media questions, he skipped the Cowboys' voluntary workouts per his agent's recommendation. But it doesn’t seem as though there was a doubt he would show up to, and fully participate in, the Cowboys' mandatory camp. Pickens seems to be going about this the right way; now, he just needs to make sure he can stay healthy while generating similar stats to last season. If he can do that, then he’s on track to cash in next season, whether it be with Dallas or another team.
But even that “best-case” scenario comes with a catch. If Pickens thrives, Dallas still controls the board. They can tag him again, forcing interested teams to pay up in draft capital or wait out a complicated cap situation and pay him when the dust settles. This isn’t just strategy, it's leverage stacked on leverage. And right now, the Cowboys control the board, but right now, it looks like Pickens is playing the game the right way.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: George Pickens keeps it cool, shows up at Cowboys minicamp with plan
Continue reading...
