It’s no secret by now that the Cowboys scored themselves a star when they landed George Pickens in a trade with the Steelers this offseason. Dallas sent out a 2026 third-round pick (and a 2027 late-round swap) for Pickens, and the payoff for the offense has been enormous: Pickens now has 908 yards receiving in 10 games in Dallas, with a career-high seven touchdowns.
He was especially impressive on Monday night in Week 11 against the Raiders, a game that turned into a Cowboys blowout, a 33-16 win. Pickens caught nine passes for 144 yards and a touchdown on the night, the third time he has cracked the 100-yard mark for Dallas this season.
And of course, every time that Pickens puts forth a big game, it raises the question: The Steelers were willing to give him up because they did not want to pay him when he hits free agency next offseason … but will the Cowboys shell out to keep him on board?
George Pickens Looked Like ‘He Was in an Opera’
Fortunately for Dallas, there is time to figure out the approach to Pickens and his future. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is ultimately the decider when it comes to his star receiver’s future, and Jones’s comments after Week 11 did catch some attention–he had unusually descriptive praise of Pickens.
“Pickens was — I’ve never seen a performance like that,” Jones said when asked about the play of Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. “It was poetic the way that he was making those moves out there and doing it. It was like he was in an opera or something going on out there. A ballet. But I am proud for both them, they played really outstanding today.”
Cowboys Teammates Get Credit
After the game, Pickens pointed to his Cowboys teammates for his performance.
“Just really, credit to the guys, bro,” he said. “I can only do this as much as they can. You know what I mean, I am here with them every day. I feel like when we execute, those type of games can happen for me. So definitely shouts out to the guys.”
The Raiders defense dropped off him enough times, Pickens said, to create room for him to make a move and run hard, creating yards after the catch.
“As far as me on my behalf, I would just say, running the ball hard,” Pickens said. “That’s one thing I was emphasizing tonight, after the catch, I knew they would be having little zone drops, a lot of zone drops, so definitely run after catch.”
George Pickens Has Multiple Ways to Stay With Cowboys
As it stands, Pickens will be with the Cowboys through the rest of the year, with three possible outcomes ahead–all of which would yield some positives for the team going forward.
The Cowboys could–and most likely will–use the franchise tag on Pickens, paying him $28 million to stay on board next year. The Cowboys could give Pickens a long-term contract (that would be another outcome) but using the tag would allow them to keep Pickens for one more season at a relative bargain price.
Or, the Cowboys could simply let Pickens walk, which is not ideal given the way he has fit with the offense. But it would produce a compensatory draft pick, so the Cowboys would not lose him empty-handed.
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