Pickens has not signed a one-year contract worth $27.3 million, meaning the 25-year-old would not face financial penalties if he does not report to mandatory minicamp in June. The remainder of the offseason program, which begins Monday, is voluntary.
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“We’ve made the decision that we’re going to have George play under the franchise tag, which won’t be the first time for us,” Stephen Jones said. “So there will be no negotiations on a long-term deal. But it’s certainly not a first for this organization and it certainly won’t be a first for the league in terms of this decision as we move forward.”
Stephen Jones said he hasn’t spoken to Pickens recently, but said owner Jerry Jones and trainer Brian Schottenheimer met with him recently.
“It was good,” Schottenheimer said during the Cowboys’ press conference ahead of the NFL draft, which begins Thursday night. “What George knows about Jerry and I is that we are very sincere and honest. We had a great conversation. We let him know. We think that’s important because that’s how we handle all of our players and coaches.”
David Mulugheta, Pickens’ agent, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Pickens, acquired last offseason in a trade with Pittsburgh, had career highs in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and touchdowns (nine) for one of the NFL’s best offenses last season. Dallas had one of the worst defenses in the league and finished 7-9-1, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.
The 2022 second-round pick out of Georgia thrived alongside CeeDee Lamb, who enters the second year of a four-year, $136 million contract that currently ranks third among NFL receivers with an average annual value of $34 million.
Lamb missed the entire offseason and training camp in 2024 waiting for the deal he signed about two weeks before the start of the season.
The Cowboys were unable to use the tag on Lamb because he was entering the fifth year of his rookie contract. The fifth year is a team option that applies to all deals for first-round picks. Second-rounders have four-year contracts, and Pickens earned $6.8 million on his rookie contract.
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Pickens’ talent was on display for three seasons with the Steelers, but there were also enough instances of petulant or indifferent behavior for then-coach Mike Tomlin to question his maturity.
Schottenheimer never publicly disagreed with Pickens in his first season as head coach after a quarter-century as an NFL assistant. But Pickens and Lamb were benched for the first series in Las Vegas after skipping curfew following a visit to the casino the night before the game.
“There’s a lot of things that go into that,” Stephen Jones said of the decision not to move forward with a long-term contract this offseason. “Let’s start with the fact that it’s not easy to have two receivers paid at the top of the market. A quarterback who’s been here, being the highest-paid player in this league for many years.”
“The other thing is the novelty of George being here,” Stephen Jones said. “I think George just did an incredible job. I mean, he’s exceeded all expectations. And a lot of those things, they work their way into a long-term deal, but that’s the most important part: between the business and the novelty, I think that’s a big part.”
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