ARLINGTON — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made sure to repeat a description he had for wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Emphasis was required.
“Those are two dudes,” Prescott said before pausing for even more emphasis. “Two dudes.”
But are they two dudes they can pay?
Lamb, now with three 100-yard receiving games this season, has already been paid. The Cowboys don’t have to worry about that renegotiation for at least a little while. The other part of that dynamic duo? Well, he’ll be a free agent after this season.
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Heading into this season, Pickens’ value was a mystery. The Steelers traded him for third- and fifth-round picks on the final year of his rookie deal for a reason. His value after this season depended a lot on how this season would go. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier this week that it had gone better than expected.
It feels like his value keeps rising as the weeks go on.
Pickens had four catches for 82 yards in a 44-22 win over the Commanders on Sunday. He also drew a defensive pass interference on the opening drive that helped set up a touchdown. He has now drawn four defensive pass interferences for 131 yards this season, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Pickens has also earned rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his ability to be a positive teammate. He has so many handshakes coordinated with teammates that he’s lost count. He was even seen before the game doing a handshake with Will McClay, the Cowboys’ vice president of player personnel.
“That’s what happens when you have a talented player like that — that all of a sudden starts really working with confidence, with talented people around him,” Jones said about Pickens after Sunday’s win. “You bet he’s, in my opinion — and you guys will have your own opinion, but in my opinion — he’s one of the best receivers there are. Including with Lamb. You put him out there with [KaVontae] Turpin and you put him with two or three of those young ones and you’ve got a great receiving corps with our tight ends.”
It seems like a cast the Cowboys would like to keep. Pickens said earlier this week that he wouldn’t mind staying in Dallas, too.
Jones was asked on Sunday about the potential for contract negotiations to go awry based on Pickens’ representation. He’s represented by Athletes First and specifically Trevon Smith, as well as David Mulugheta, who represents Micah Parsons. Jones said the negotiation and subsequent trade of Parsons has no bearing on what happens with Pickens.
“Don’t pay any attention to that. At all. No attention to that at all,” Jones said. “Too much was made of that, that the agent actually had something to do with the ultimate decision of where we were. It almost had zero to do with it. Period. And that’s not a negative, it just didn’t have that kind of influence. I was going to be where I was with Micah relative to dollars and cents; I don’t care who represented him.”
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