The Dallas Cowboys announced Wednesday they have stopped long-term contract negotiations with wide receiver George Pickens, three months before the July 15 deadline to finalize an extension. Pickens, 25, will play the 2026 season on the franchise tag worth $27.3 million fully guaranteed.
The news came out of a pre-draft press conference in Frisco, Texas, where owner and general manager Jerry Jones, COO Stephen Jones, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and vice president of player personnel Will McClay had gathered to discuss the upcoming NFL Draft. The Pickens announcement was not on the agenda.
Stephen Jones confirmed the decision directly. "We've made a decision that we're going to have George play under the franchise tag, which won't be a first for us," he said. "Whether it's Dak Prescott, who played under one and got tagged a second time. Whether it's DLaw. Whether it's Tony Pollard, we've certainly had those situations."
Pickens and his agent David Mulugheta were told personally. Jerry Jones and Schottenheimer met with Pickens directly, while the Jones family spoke separately with Mulugheta. Asked about the reaction from Pickens and his agent, Stephen Jones declined to elaborate. "I don't think that's productive to get into right now," he said.
Schottenheimer described his own conversation with Pickens as straightforward. "The thing that George knows about Jerry and myself is we're very upfront and we're honest," he said. "We had great conversation. We informed him. We think that's important because that's the way we handle all of our players and coaches."
Dallas did not close the door entirely on a long-term deal, pointing to Prescott's path as a precedent. Prescott was tagged twice before eventually signing a multi-year extension. But the Cowboys also referenced Tony Pollard, who was tagged, never signed an extension, and left for the Tennessee Titans in free agency. That outcome is now a possibility for Pickens after the 2026 season if no deal is reached.
Any extension talks are now a conversation for 2027.
