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The Dallas Cowboys wandered into the unknown when they traded for wide receiver George Pickens last offseason. That decision to gamble on a mercurial player paid off for the organization as Pickens had a career year and was named Second-Team All-Pro, racking up 93 catches, 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
While it meant success for the Cowboys’ offense, it didn’t mean Pickens would cash in as a free agent. The WR was tagged by the team, and Pickens signed the tender in hopes of betting on himself again can turn into a bigger long-term deal. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones is expecting the same type of year from Pickens and may have leaked the franchises plan for the star WR, which doesn’t include an extension.
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Jones was speaking about Pickens and his long-term outlook with the Cowboys, when he may have let the team’s strategy out of the bag.
The key words from Jones are “through next year and this year, he’ll answer all those questions.” That makes it seem pretty clear how the Cowboys will tag Pickens again next offseason and have a two-year plan before moving on from the receiver.
Tagging Pickens again next year means they’ll run through the same scenarios they did this offseason. The Cowboys are hoping for another big campaign from Pickens, where he stays out of trouble, and then use the non-exclusive franchise tag on him to give themselves options. Dallas didn’t get another team to bite on a trade this year, but another good season from Pickens could lead to an offer the Cowboys can’t refuse during the 2027 offseason.
If a trade doesn’t come, the Cowboys will be more than happy to keep Pickens for another year on a franchise deal before likely letting him go in 2028 and accepting the compensatory pick back.
This has always felt like the Jones' and the Cowboys’ plan with Pickens, keeping him for three years thanks to two franchise tags. Dallas loves the player and the talent, but they aren’t willing to invest long-term.
And in this case, there’s nothing Pickens can do about it, the Cowboys hold all the leverage. The team can keep Pickens for two years under the tag at a lower cost than other top of the market WRs are getting. If the Cowboys do use the tag again, they’d have a top performing WR for three years of control at a fraction of the cost for a top-tier WR.
It’s smart business for the franchise, but stinks for Pickens.
However, the plan does have a downside. Pickens has played nice thus far, but getting tagged in consecutive years might not make him so friendly next year. Getting a second tag could force him to hold out and make things messy.
Next year is a long way off, and a million things could change between now and then, but Jones may have just let the cat out of the bag on how the Cowboys want to handle Pickens’ future with the team.
Pickens is essentially on two, one-year franchise deals before he moves on.
Just as Jones leaked the Cowboys would open the 2026 season against the Giants, Jones revealed too much. He just can’t help himself.
You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenTalksCowboys and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Jerry Jones once again leaks Cowboys intel, reveals plan for Pickens
Continue reading...
While it meant success for the Cowboys’ offense, it didn’t mean Pickens would cash in as a free agent. The WR was tagged by the team, and Pickens signed the tender in hopes of betting on himself again can turn into a bigger long-term deal. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones is expecting the same type of year from Pickens and may have leaked the franchises plan for the star WR, which doesn’t include an extension.
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Jones was speaking about Pickens and his long-term outlook with the Cowboys, when he may have let the team’s strategy out of the bag.
The key words from Jones are “through next year and this year, he’ll answer all those questions.” That makes it seem pretty clear how the Cowboys will tag Pickens again next offseason and have a two-year plan before moving on from the receiver.
Tagging Pickens again next year means they’ll run through the same scenarios they did this offseason. The Cowboys are hoping for another big campaign from Pickens, where he stays out of trouble, and then use the non-exclusive franchise tag on him to give themselves options. Dallas didn’t get another team to bite on a trade this year, but another good season from Pickens could lead to an offer the Cowboys can’t refuse during the 2027 offseason.
If a trade doesn’t come, the Cowboys will be more than happy to keep Pickens for another year on a franchise deal before likely letting him go in 2028 and accepting the compensatory pick back.
This has always felt like the Jones' and the Cowboys’ plan with Pickens, keeping him for three years thanks to two franchise tags. Dallas loves the player and the talent, but they aren’t willing to invest long-term.
And in this case, there’s nothing Pickens can do about it, the Cowboys hold all the leverage. The team can keep Pickens for two years under the tag at a lower cost than other top of the market WRs are getting. If the Cowboys do use the tag again, they’d have a top performing WR for three years of control at a fraction of the cost for a top-tier WR.
It’s smart business for the franchise, but stinks for Pickens.
However, the plan does have a downside. Pickens has played nice thus far, but getting tagged in consecutive years might not make him so friendly next year. Getting a second tag could force him to hold out and make things messy.
Next year is a long way off, and a million things could change between now and then, but Jones may have just let the cat out of the bag on how the Cowboys want to handle Pickens’ future with the team.
Pickens is essentially on two, one-year franchise deals before he moves on.
Just as Jones leaked the Cowboys would open the 2026 season against the Giants, Jones revealed too much. He just can’t help himself.
You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenTalksCowboys and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Jerry Jones once again leaks Cowboys intel, reveals plan for Pickens
Continue reading...
