Not this again with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Not with the future of George Pickens at stake.
It can be said, especially given the season-ending ACL injury that star edge-rusher Micah Parsons suffered in Green Bay, that moving on from Parsons and acquiring two first-round picks plus Kenny Clark was the right move for Jones and the Cowboys. But it can’t be said that the situation was handled correctly by Jones.
Remember, the original rift between Jones and Parsons came because Jones felt he and Parsons had agreed on terms for a contract extension, but when Parsons insisted that the official deal be drawn up with his agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First–a pretty standard request by a player who’s not qualified to negotiate the minutiae of a contract–Jones took it as some personal betrayal by Parsons. That paved the way for the blockbuster trade that sent out Parsons.
That’s all in the past for the Cowboys now, though. Or is it?
Cowboys’ Jones Doesn’t Know if He’ll Engage George Pickens Agent
Well, not exactly. That’s because one of the shrewd moves Jones made last offseason for the Cowboys was bringing in receiver Pickens from the Steelers for the effective cost of a third-round pick. Pittsburgh did not want to have to give Pickens a big extension and thus was willing to move him–but now the Cowboys are hoping of keeping him in Dallas.
That will require a big extension, or, at least, the franchise tag. Jones will need to work that out with Pickens–and his agent, who is, of course, David Mulugheta of Athletes First.
Jones was asked this week on his radio hit with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas whether he would speak with Mulugheta, given their recent history. The answer should have been an unequivocal, “Yes.”
Instead, Jones said: “I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes. Probably both, but I certainly expect to be speaking with George.”
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Cowboys Setting Up a Parsons Repeat
This is, potentially, setting up the very same divide that ultimately led to Parsons’ departure. Even if Parsons leaving turns out to be a benefit for the Cowboys, there’s no doubt that it was handled unprofessionally, and if Jones had worked out that the team should trade Parsons, he should have done it much earlier.
It’s no secret what Pickens, a first-time Pro Bowler this season, has meant to the Cowboys offense. He has 1,420 yards receiving, which rates No. 3 in the NFL, and seven touchdowns, which rates No. 7. He is third in the NFL with 22 catches of 20 yards or more, and fourth with four catches of 40 yards or more.
Pickens’ market value, according to Spotrac, runs at four years and $122 million, more than 430 million per season, which would be a major investment in the receivers’ room for Jones and the Cowboys. A one-year franchise-tag deal would go for $28 million.
‘George Pickens Is 1 of a Kind’
One guy who has been vocal about how important Pickens has been as a bookend with CeeDee Lamb is Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who has plenty of experience in the difficulty of seeking a new contract from Jones. Prescott was not signed to his current deal until opening weekend of the 2024 season.
Prescott said Pickens’ approach to discipline has continued to improve.
“George Pickens is a one-of-a-kind guy. Special individual, elite, has a great feel for the game, loves the game, plays the game like a kid. When you watch him play, the energy, the celebrations, like that’s contagious,” Prescott said.
“But the discipline, there is a part of that that we’ve all got to tighten up. And GP knows that. Obviously, he responded to it, responded to the discipline by the way that he came out, and the intensity he played with and the effort he had. But he’s a special individual. There’s a balance to it, though.”
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