We’ve heard all the assurances from Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones, and indeed, faith in Jones has grown exponentially in the past three weeks after a decisive trade deadline completely reshaped the team’s defense and sparked a three-game winning streak that has the playoffs in sight, however tenuously. With the shrewd offseason trade for George Pickens, things have been turning up Cowboys.
But the fact is, according to Over the Cap, the Cowboys are nearly $50 million over the NFL’s salary line for next season, and even with the kind of magical massaging of the books that the league allows, it’s hard to see how the Cowboys get significantly under that number without jettisoning an expensive piece or two. They’ll need to be well under to get Pickens on board.
Jones vowed this week to keep the newly assembled, and very expensive, defensive front together at the same time as vowing to keep pending free agent Pickens in the fold. Given the way Pickens’ price tag has grown exponentially in the past six weeks or so, it’s hard to see how Jones can do that while also keeping the Cowboys’ books in line with the league accountants.
George Pickens, $154 Million Man
Spotrac projects Pickens to be getting closer to the salary of a true WR1 in the NFL. He won’t get the $40 million per year that Ja’Marr Chase gets but he is in the neighborhood now of Justin Jefferson’s $35 million and teammate CeeDee Lamb’s $34 million. Spotrac projects him at $154 million over five years, meaning they’d be paying Lamb and Pickens a hefty $65 million per annum.
But at CBS Sports, in looking at the future of NFL free agency, the prediction is that Pickens does re-sign with the Cowboys.
The site notes: “Pickens was notoriously emotional while playing for Pittsburgh, but he’s been nothing but a team player in Dallas, and his production suggests he’s due for a monster payday. The question, as is often the case with Cowboys stars, is whether owner Jerry Jones will prolong rather than rush to resolve pending contract talks.”
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones waves to fans during the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Arlington, Texas
Cowboys Must Find a Way
Jones is one of the complicating factors in making a deal with Pickens, because as open to remaining with the Cowboys as Pickens might be, his agency is Athletes First, the same group that Jones disrespected during last offseason’s ugly Micah Parsons negotiations.
Still, looking at the way the Cowboys offense has functioned with two top wide receivers on board, it’s hard to imagine the team not doing all it can to keep Pickens on board. He is second in the NFL with 1,142 yards, and has a career-high eight touchdowns. Pickens has quickly become a security blanket for Dak Prescott, catching a league-high 60 balls for first-down conversions.
It won’t be easy. It’ll be expensive, and another expensive player on the roster might need to get the boot. But the Cowboys do need to keep George Pickens in place, if possible.
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