Jerry Jones' praise gets George Pickens talking as Cowboys future remains 'up to agents'

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Jerry Jones' praise gets George Pickens talking as Cowboys future remains 'up to agents' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After recording a career-high 93 receptions, 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in his 2025 Pro Bowl season, George Pickens expected a long-term contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys.

But owner Jerry Jones decided to wait before committing to a massive deal, securing Pickens for the 2026 season on a one-year, $27.3 million franchise tag instead.

Jones still wants Pickens at the top of the league. At the Cowboys' opening training camp press conference, the 83-year-old owner emphasized that Pickens "could be a Cowboy for the rest of his career."

Pickens addressed Jones' kind words at camp in Oxnard, and he wasn't reading into them as any signal on his contract. "Super excited. I'm always super happy when someone thinks highly of me, so shoutout to Jerry," he said.

The Alabama native is completely tuning out the contract stuff right now, saying, “I left it up to agents, so I was, even when we were nine, 10 months from training camp, I was already thinking about ball. I was already training.”

"I left it up to agents... just make catches, make plays, be a playmaker," Pickens added, framing his job as strictly what happens on the field.

This approach matches how Dallas handles tagged players. The front office last signed a tagged player to a long-term extension before the season started in 2015 with Dez Bryant. That deal only happened because Bryant led the NFL in touchdowns and threatened to skip training camp until management met his demands.

Since then, the Cowboys have changed their approach. Stars like Dak Prescott and DeMarcus Lawrence played out their entire one-year tag seasons before signing long-term contracts the following year. Pickens must follow that same path with the July deadline over.

Unlike Bryant, Pickens is trusting his agents and playing out the final year of his contract. If he repeats his 2025 production, he will force Dallas or another team to give him a top-tier contract next summer.

More NFL news: ​

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• Why this ex-NFL star believes George Pickens is set for a 'gigantic mistake' with $27.3 million gamble
• Micah Parsons' projected return date lines up perfectly with Cowboys revenge matchup
• Jerry Jones wants his 'most prolific' star to be NFL's top WR this season
• Cowboys' Jerry Jones faces tough questions on $52 million decision as camp begins

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