In six games with the Cowboys, it is fair to say that the deal to bring in George Pickens to complement CeeDee Lamb has worked out nicely. Through six games, he is leading the NFL with six touchdowns, already a career high. He is on pace to catch 91 passes, and to tally 1,487 yards, both of which would also be career highs.
Those numbers spiked with Lamb missing three games with an ankle sprain, and though they’ll dip with Lamb coming back, Pickens has certainly cemented himself as a top weapon in the NFL while also putting his reputation as a malcontent from his days with the Steelers behind him.
But the issue with Pickens and the Cowboys has always been just how long he will stay in Dallas, with free agency looming next winter.
He was asked about potentially staying in Dallas by re-signing long-term on Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t mind it,” he said. “The guys in the locker room have been super cool. The energy is great. Like I said, I always want to showcase my talents, most definitely.”
George Pickens ‘Not Fully Thinking About’ Free Agency
But Pickens also said that he is not really thinking much about his impending free agency, which is still five months away. He is focused more on just continuing to push forward with the season and help the Cowboys attempt a playoff push.
He was asked whether his breakout season has been aided by the fact that he knows free agency is coming.
“I probably wouldn’t say all that,” Pickens said, “because I am definitely in the middle of a season so I am not like fully, fully thinking about it because I want to just keep going and see how far we can get in the season as far as playoffs and stuff like that. But definitely, I want to keep on improving.”
GettyCowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
Cowboys Would Have to Shell Out
Pickens said the most important factor in free agency for him won’t be money. It’ll be how good the team is.
“Definitely winning just because that’s been like, my resume the whole time. I won in high school, I won at Georgia, so, yeah,” he said.
That’s easy to say in October, but how much money Pickens gets in March will most certainly be a factor in where he lands. Spotrac projects him to get $145 million over five years, which is second-tier WR1 money but top-shelf WR2 money. It’s hard to imagine the Cowboys giving out that kind of money while Lamb is still on his four-year, $136 million contract he signed last year.
Cowboys-George Pickens Connection ‘Super Good’
But the return of Lamb, and KaVontae Turpin, could help the Cowboys’ offense keep moving forward and help spark a playoff push.
Pickens said that playing without Lamb has been beneficial for him, because he has a better understanding of the full range of routes his teammates are running.
“Super good,” Pickens said of his feel for the offense. “Moving me around, especially when CeeDee is out, which gave me a better understanding of the full playbook now, you know what I mean, as well. When CeeDee comes back, when Turp comes back, now they can move all of us all around a little bit better than we did before.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cowboys’ George Pickens Makes Statement on Re-Signing in Free Agency appeared first on Heavy Sports.