The Dallas Cowboys have crossed an important task off their offseason to-do list.
Dallas officially placed the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens on Friday, the team announced. By using the franchise tag, the Cowboys can continue to negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens by the July 15 deadline to sign a contract extension.
The Cowboys placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Pickens, which means he can negotiate with other teams in free agency. The Cowboys, however, retain the right to match any offers or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.
Several Cowboys players, including CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, would like Pickens back in Dallas on a long-term deal.
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Pickens quickly emerged as Prescott’s top target throughout the 2025 season. He finished the year as the team’s leader in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and receiving touchdowns (9).
Earlier this offseason, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones was asked by The Dallas Morning News if he worried about how the franchise tag would affect Pickens.
“Not any more at all than any other player,” Jones said. “No. In fact, my emphasis on feeling good about him off the field, or any of those issues, has to do with me not differentiating him from any of the top players. Obviously, if you franchise somebody, they’re not getting exactly where they want to be. That’s the way that works. Would I be more concerned with him than I would be anybody? The answer is not at all. To me, that’s what we’ve seen and what he’s shown.”
The projected franchise tag number for wide receivers is a one-year deal valued at over $28 million, according to overthecap.com.
Before Pickens, the Cowboys last used the franchise tag in 2023 when they placed it on running back Tony Pollard.
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