George Pickens to Officially Play 2026 Season on Cowboys Franchise Tag

Although this has been expected for quite some time now, the Dallas Cowboys and George Pickens did not reach an agreement on a new long-term deal before Wednesday’s deadline.

So Pickens will officially play the 2026 season on a one-year, fully guaranteed $27.3 million franchise tag.

And because the deadline has now passed, the Cowboys no longer have the option to extend him until after the team’s final regular-season game. That means Pickens will once again be in position to become a free agent next offseason.

Since Pickens signed the franchise tag in late April, he’s already said he doesn’t plan to hold out. He also reported for mandatory minicamp after skipping voluntary workouts, so there doesn’t appear to be much concern about his availability for the upcoming season.

He’s obviously a key piece of Dallas’ explosive offense.

And if the Cowboys are going to have any hope of making the playoffs, Pickens is going to be a tremendous catalyst in making that happen. He and CeeDee Lamb form one of the best receiving duos in the entire NFL, giving Dallas two legitimate game-changing options on the outside.

So for now, the concern isn’t really about the 2026 season.

Pickens is under contract, he plans to play, and the Cowboys know exactly what they have in him. Instead, the attention shifts to this time next year, when Dallas will once again have to decide whether it wants to make Pickens a long-term part of the franchise.

But for now, he’ll play the upcoming season on the franchise tag, and the Cowboys can shift their focus back to football before reopening negotiations after the 2026 season comes to an end.