One of the overriding questions facing the Cowboys throughout this season has, even in the face of a disappointing 4-5-1 record, been a positive one. That’s because the trade Dallas made with the Steelers to bring in George Pickens has been so overwhelmingly successful that the one problem attached to it is whether Pickens has played his way out of a long-term deal with the team.
He has been one of the best receivers in the league, not just a complement to star CeeDee Lamb, but a true equal to him. Pickens has gone for 908 yards, which is second in the league, as well as seven touchdowns, which is tied for third.
When the Cowboys traded for Pickens, it appeared he would be a one-year rental. But he is proving worthy of long-term consideration. In fact, at the NFL contract expert site Spotrac, the prediction is firm that Pickens will stay put, first on a short deal, then on something longer.
George Pickens ‘Really Liking What He’s Getting’ With Cowboys
Part of what works in the Cowboys’ favor, says Spotrac editor Mike Ginnitti, is the fact that Pickens probably won’t get a WR1 offer in free agency. If Pickens gets a deal worth $35 million per year or more, he’s likely out of the Cowboys’ plans. But if he stays in WR2 payout range, both he and the Cowboys can make things work.
“George Pickens continues to look good in this Dallas offense. I don’t know why he would leave outside of the fact that he values himself as somebody who should be in that WR1 conversation, true WR1 conversation,” Ginnitti said on “The Spotrac Podcast” this week.
“I am not sure there is a team out there that will feel that way about him and will offer him, financially, that way. But if he can find it, he probably takes it. My guess is, he’s really liking what he’s getting right now, which is a lot of space because of Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb, and certainly Dak Prescott’s ability. He’s going to find that valuable.”
George Pickens Is Only 24
A real possibility for Pickens would be the $28 million franchise tag from the Cowboys, which would keep him in place for next season. But Ginnitti sees the Cowboys doing something slightly longer than a one-year deal, with a lengthy extension–possibly as a Lamb replcement in the office–to follow.
Pickens was just 21 when he entered the league, so age is on his side.
“He is 24. He can take a smaller extension with Dallas right now, continue to the success, continue to build his value,” Ginnitti said. “Maybe even time himself properly with CeeDee Lamb and eventually usurp that situation and/or re-hit the open market well before that primetime peak, 28, 29 years old.
“Maybe even at 27 years old in March of 2028 or 2029. He is in a really nice situation because of how early he came into the league.”
Cowboys’ 2-Year Deal Makes Sense
Rather than the franchise tag, then, Ginnitti projects the Cowboys to give Pickens something in the range of two years and $60 million, allowing him a big payday now but with a bigger opportunity to come quickly thereafter.
“I would not rule out some sort of smaller extension, a near guaranteed situation, as a complementary piece in this offense. … I think most would put Pickens in that conversation, about $29-30 million per year,” he said.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post George Pickens to Stay With Cowboys to ‘Build Value’ in Free Agency: Contract Expert appeared first on Heavy Sports.