This one might fall into the latter category, for those who are aware and have a basic understanding of how things will play out in the coming weeks. The Dallas Cowboys have a clear point of leverage to use in contract negotiations with wide receiver George Pickens, and no one is surprised they will use it.
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter has “broken” the news that the Cowboys are expected to place the franchise tag on George Pickens. Unpleasant surprise.
Etiquette is a no-brainer for anyone paying attention to the circumstances. After trading a third-round pick (and a Day 3 pick swap) to acquire Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas reaped the rewards of the receiver’s first All-Pro season. Pickens set career highs in every significant offensive category thanks to catching passes from a bonafide star quarterback for the first time in his career.Working with Dak Prescott, he caught 93 passes for 1,400 yards and scored nine touchdowns.
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But Pickens was acquired in the final year of his rookie contract, making him an unrestricted free agent if the two sides do not reach an extension before the start of the next league year. On the open market, Pickens would be expected to get a contract near the top of the league, meaning an average salary north of $30 million.
However, because of how the non-exclusive tag is calculated, Dallas can secure Pickens’ services for a one-year price of just $28 million. The tag isn’t ideal, as a one-year deal means the Cowboys can’t use the fun money accounting trick of using bonus money to lessen the salary cap hit in the first year of a new deal. However, it does guarantee that if Pickens looks elsewhere for his talents, the Cowboys would have the right to refuse to match any contract offer.
And if they chose not to match any offer, the Cowboys would receive two first-round picks from the acquiring team.
As detailed in Cowboys Wire’s 5 Options for Dealing with Pickens article from two weeks ago, the best chance should the two sides not stay together would be to reach a deal with a club for less than the two first-rounders.
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But that’s only if things get tough. That’s not the case now, as “franchise tag expected to be placed” has been the case since December.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: ESPN breaks news about the Cowboys, Pickens, that’s common knowledge to most.