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Feb 2, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens during NFC practice at the NFL Flag Fieldhouse at Moscone Center South Building. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Dallas Cowboys chose to keep George Pickens around for the 2026 NFL season.
But on a franchise tag, there's a lot of twists that could still arrive in this story.
Of note: Cowboys executive Stephen Jones told reporters on Wednesday that Pickens will play the season ahead on the tag, not on any kind of impending long-term deal that would still be negotiated.
#Cowboys COO Stephen Jones tells reporters that WR George Pickens will play under the franchise tag this season.
"There won’t be negotiations on a long term deal.” The tag is $27.3M and it’s unclear when Pickens will even show up. pic.twitter.com/QvcztXRIOX
That's far from the best vote of confidence.
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Could Cowboys trade George Pickens?
Pickens will be with Dallas when Week 1 rolls around, barring some kind of shocking offseason request or behavior.
But with no long-term deal, there's a chance Pickens isn't with the Cowboys by the end of the season.
Dallas will have a good offense and should score plenty of points, but the defense will have to step up to keep the record respectable.
If the Cowboys happen to scuffle to a bad record by the trade deadline, Pickens would become a trade candidate.
By that point, the franchise tag would essentially be operating as a one-year deal, an expiring contract. Those are the guys that get moved by bad teams, especially ones that don't plan on signing their guy back.
It's a bit of a bold move by the Cowboys not to latch Pickens into a new contract. But it could be good news for a different team down the road if trade potential turns into trade reality.
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