The Cowboys announced during the draft that they would not negotiate with George Pickens on a long-term deal. The Pro Bowl wide receiver signed a one-year, fully guaranteed $27.3 million franchise tag on April 29.
He is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
“He’s a valued part of our aspirations and potential success,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday at his training camp news conference. “The combination that he has with the other talent on the team I think will make you feel pretty positive about what we’ve got a chance to do. That with the way we have worked this out is the way it fit. I’m proud that he will work it that way. I’m proud that he will. I hope he comes out here and is the most prolific, successful receiver in the NFL this year. Now, how would you like to be a free agent with his credentials and step out there and have a year like that. So, I wish all of that, because if that happens, that was good for us. We did it the way we thought it was best for everybody concerned.”
Jones said Pickens’ desire for a life-changing long-term contract and the Cowboys’ desire to push the can down the road, so to speak, is not “uncommon tension” in the NFL.
The Steelers traded Pickens to the Cowboys for a third-round pick last year and Pickens had a career year, with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. With another season like last season, Pickens is likely to become one of the — if not THE — highest-paid players at his position.
The Cowboys are not ruling out keeping Pickens beyond this season despite what he might cost.
“This can be a very win-win thing that we’ve done here, us, George and George being on the team,” Jones said. “Make no mistake about it, George could be a Cowboy for the rest of his career and that would be a long time. Make no mistake about it. This just fit for us and thank goodness it fit for him, and we got it done and let’s look at that.”
