Cowboys place franchise tag on Pickens

The Dallas Cowboys placed the franchise tag on George Pickens on Friday, a move that would guarantee the receiver $27.3 million in 2026 while the sides work on a long-term contract. Dallas used the non-exclusive tag on Pickens, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press, meaning he can negotiate with other teams but the Cowboys can match any offer. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details of the tag weren't announced. The Cowboys had been expected to use the tag on Pickens since last fall when he began to flourish in his breakout 2025 season coming off a trade from Pittsburgh, where his career got off to a rocky start. The money is guaranteed if Pickens signs the one-year tender. The Cowboys and Pickens' representatives have until July 15 to agree on a long-term contract that would replace the one-year deal. Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones said his dad, owner and general manager Jerry Jones, had a good conversation with Pickens at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Stephen Jones sounded confident Pickens will play for the Cowboys this season. "We're not putting any time frame on this," Jones told the NFL Network. "We just love that George is going to be back. Jerry had a great visit with him yesterday. (Pickens) was fired up that he wasn't going to be going anywhere." If Pickens signs an offer sheet from another team and the Cowboys decide not to match it under the non-exclusive provision, the club would get the equivalent of two first-round draft picks. Dallas can't trade Pickens unless he signs the tender. Pickens, who turns 25 on Wednesday, had career highs in catches (93), yards receiving (1,429) and touchdowns (nine) for one of the best offenses in the NFL 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 is going into the second year of a $136 million, four-year contract that currently ranks him third among NFL receivers with an average annual value of $34 million. Lamb missed the entire offseason and training camp in 2024 holding out for the deal he signed about two weeks before the season opener. The Cowboys couldn't use the tag on Lamb because he was going into the fifth year of his rookie contract. The fifth year is a team option that goes with all deals for first-round picks. Second-rounders have four-year deals, and Pickens earned $6.8 million on his rookie contract. If Pickens signs the deal under the franchise tag in the next three months, he could be fined for not reporting to the mandatory offseason minicamp in June or training camp in July. Pickens' talent was on display during three seasons with the Steelers, but so were enough instances of petulant or indifferent behavior for then-coach Mike Tomlin to question his maturity. Ultimately, Pittsburgh decided to send Pickens to Dallas for a third-round draft pick and a swap of late-round selections between the teams. The Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer never took issue with Pickens publicly in his first season as a head coach after a quarter-century as an NFL assistant. But Pickens and Lamb were benched for the first series in Las Vegas after missing curfew following a casino visit the night before the game. Dallas has already reached a $24 million, three-year agreement to re-sign free agent running back Javonte Williams. Like Pickens, Williams rejuvenated his career in the 25-year-old's first season with Dallas. His 1,201 yards rushing were the most for a Dallas back since two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott had 1,357 in 2019. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl