As George Pickens shines for Cowboys yet again, his price tag only goes in one direction

ARLINGTON — Can you hear it? That leitmotif that’s played week-by-week during this Dallas Cowboys’ season.

It’s slow at first, building with anticipation, paying off with the eventual and inevitable high point: the roar of a crowd, celebrating another big play from Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.

That sound may have reached a crescendo on Sunday.

Pickens, once again, played a starring role for the Cowboys in a 24-21 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. His stardom not only lay in the volume of catches he had, but their impact — and their level of difficulty.

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There was no better example than his longest catch of the day: a 43-yard reception in the fourth quarter where he leaped and reached back over Eagles corners Cooper DeJean and Sydney Brown to set up the game-tying score.

Pickens has said before that his mind goes calm when the ball is in the air. That calmness is met with chaos once he has the ball in his possession.

“Definitely the energy,” Pickens said about what he notices after making his highlight-reel catches. “I’m an energy guy myself, so that’s why you probably always see me do the crazy celebrations, get really hyped, because I know it’s a big turning point. And I know defenses, when you’ve got the momentum or you make a splash play, that demoralizes them.”

That frequency has been on display often. Pickens finished with nine catches on Sunday for 146 yards and a touchdown. He now has a career-high in receptions. He’s now over 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career — with six games to spare. He’s on pace for over 1,600 yards receiving this year.

Pickens may have been deemed a risky gamble for the Cowboys when they gave up a third and fifth-round pick to acquire him and a sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers. His play since then, however, has been music to the Cowboys’ ears.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) celebrates early as he runs into the end...

“George has been such an integral part of our story,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “His story, to a degree, that’s our story. I’m so proud of him. Everyone on this team is. And he certainly has absolutely been the difference as we’ve played over the last two weeks.”

With a contract conversation inevitably looming, Pickens’ performance has also made some wonder where the Cowboys might be without him. When the offense has struggled, he’s shone. When the Cowboys were without CeeDee Lamb, he stuck a starring role. Even during games where Lamb has struggled, like he did at points during Sunday’s win over the Eagles, Pickens has been there to make up for it.

Yes, there have been some hiccups along the way, including multiple unsportsmanlike penalties called and a brief suspension last week for staying out late with Lamb and ultimately missing the team bus in Las Vegas, but when it comes to the on-field display, he’s been vital. Pickens has proven to be a break-glass-in-emergency player for the Cowboys: a failsafe when the Cowboys need a big play and can count on him to either make a catch, or draw a defensive pass interference.

Take Pickens’ big catch in the fourth quarter, for example. Fellow receiver KaVontae Turpin said he saw the ball go up in the air. He saw it targeted toward Pickens.

“You can see me on the field. I was already like this,” Turpin said, throwing his hands up like a referee signaling a touchdown. “He’s just so special man. He deserves what he’s going to get.”

If there’s been an accompanying leitmotif to Pickens’ big play consistency, it’s been that other element of his current situation in Dallas. Pickens will be a free agent after this season. Jones has already said earlier this season that they are considering ways to see if they could have two highly-paid elite receivers. With every passing week, however, it feels like Pickens’ market value is going up.

Jones was asked about that after the game and he indicated the Cowboys would continue to let things play out.

“We can let it come as well. It’s something when you’ve got [Lamb] and Pickens,” he said.

Jones was also told after the game, in a question, that nothing would stop the Cowboys from negotiating an extension with Pickens’ representation, Athletes First — the same representation that Micah Parsons had before the Cowboys traded him.

Jones laughed.

“I don’t just try to spend my day messing with agents, as you well know,” Jones said. “I’m proud he’s having the season he’s having. It exceeds anything we could’ve hoped for.”

For other people associated with the Cowboys, it’s a simple discussion when it comes to Pickens’ potential future with the Cowboys.

“He’s not from here. He’s not from this planet,” Prescott said about Pickens.

“We lucked out getting a guy like that. We have to make sure we keep him.”

It’s a sound they want to keep playing.

Twitter/X: @JoeJHoyt

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