“There won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal,” Stephen Jones said.
It was another perfect only with the Cowboys moment where contract negotiations have become a never-ending story.
In 2023, All-Pro right guard Zack Martin held out of a portion of training camp looking to renegotiate his contract. In 2024, the talks surrounded the futures of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb with the Pro Bowl wide receiver missing most of training camp before an extension was reached. Prescott’s record $60 million annual deal would be agreed to on the morning of the season opener.
And then last year, the mess that surrounded Micah Parsons’ contract saga that eventually saw the All-Pro pass rusher traded to the Green Bay Packers a week before the 2025 season started.
It all pointed to more drama in 2026.
But Pickens, who will make $27.3 million on the tag, attended the mandatory minicamp in June and said he will not hold out of training camp. July 15, the deadline for Pickens to sign a long-term extension, came and went with barely a note.
It was like a balloon that flitters away when the air is released. The potential of drama was gone.