If the Dallas Cowboys look within just their own division, they can see how NFL contracts should work by looking at the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a simple way of doing things.
When the Eagles have a great young player on their roster — someone who obviously has NFL All-Pro talent — they try and pay them. Earlier the better. When they do this, they almost always come out on top in terms of savings. You get a bargain if you cough up the cash right when you know a player has that kind of upside.
Waiting is always the ultimate killer. It kills the bottom line. It kills locker room morale. It kills any hope of winning Super Bowls.
To that end, the Cowboys seem to always wait. And they always lose. Now, they’re being put on blast for a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that says the franchise is contemplating a $29 million franchise tag for wide receiver George Pickens.
The Cowboys obtained Pickens on May 7 in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, getting Pickens and a 2027 sixth round pick in exchange for a 2026 third round pick and 2027 fifth round pick.
Fowler has Pickens ranked as the No. 4 overall free agent in the 2026 cycle. Pickens is in the final season of the 4-year, $6.75 million rookie contract he signed in 2022.
“The Pickens experiment in Dallas has gone swimmingly,” Fowler wrote on Wednesday, November 12. “He is pacing for 1,400-plus yards and more than 10 touchdowns as the ideal counterpart to CeeDee Lamb. His immense talent — and the number of teams starved for receiver help — will drive his value … Pickens’ results with capable quarterback play around him are undeniable. (The franchise tag — which would be around $29 million — could be a backup option for Dallas.)”
To say the reaction to the Cowboys possibly franchise tagging Pickens was not favorable would be an understatement.
Fans Want Pickens in Dallas on Long Term Deal
The smart thing to do, at this point, would be to try and lock Pickens into a long term deal — think something along the lines of a 3-year, $90 million contract extension.
The backlash from the franchise tag report didn’t focus solely on calling out the Cowboys, either. It also pointed out, like Fowler wrote, there are a lot of teams who would kill to have Pickens on their roster.
“George Pickens is one of my top Free Agent targets for the Bills,” Bills Report wrote on its official X account on November 12. “Pickens has 764 yards on 49 Receptions, and 6 TDs to go with that. At just 24 years old Pickens would likely be looking for a big 4-ish year deal. If you want a WR1, he is tough to pass on.”
“Letting George Pickens walk would be malpractice,” Sleeper Cowboys wrote on its official X account.
“George Pickens has proven to be everything the Cowboys hoped he’d be when they traded to acquire him, and the consummate team guy is eager to do whatever’s needed for the unit, as a whole, to ‘dominate’ opps,” Cowboys.com’s Patrik Walker wrote on his official X account.
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