The Dallas Cowboys are placing the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, keeping him in Dallas at least through 2026, ESPN’s Todd Archer reports.
The franchise tag guarantees Pickens around $28 million in 2026, but working out a long-term deal remains the goal.
The Cowboys met with Pickens’ representatives on Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. The talks were described as more general than in-depth.
This news shouldn’t come as a surprise as Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president, said earlier this week that the Cowboys were “leaning towards” using the tag on Pickens.
Asked if Pickens could be a Cowboy for the long term on Thursday, coach Brian Schottenheimer said, “I hope so.”
The Cowboys acquired Pickens from the Steelers last offseason and the trade couldn’t have gone better for Dallas. Pickens put up career highs in catches (93), yards (1,429) and touchdowns (9) while playing in every game. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time and earned second-team All-Pro honors.
We’ll see if the Cowboys are able to lock Pickens up to a long term deal.
