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George Pickens free agency rumors: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler does not expect Cowboys WR to sign franchise tag

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp02/19/26

Amid reports that the Dallas Cowboys are likely to place the franchise tag on star receiver George Pickens, an ESPN insider is saying that things could deteriorate quickly. Jeremy Fowler opened up on what he’s hearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday morning.

“This could get messy, because the Cowboys are expected to franchise tag George Pickens,” Fowler said. “They would rather keep him than trade him, I’m told.”

It’s no real surprise that Dallas would like to keep George Pickens. The talented receiver formed one heck of a one-two punch with veteran standout CeeDee Lamb during the 2025 season.

As a result, Dallas had one of the most explosive offenses in football. Keeping that core intact has to be a priority for the Cowboys.

It just may not prove that easy. The franchise tag comes at a projected cost of a fully guaranteed $28 million for one year, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. And that’s if Dallas can get Pickens to agree.

“But Pickens is unafraid to play hardball here,” Fowler reported. “I don’t expect him to sign that franchise tag any time soon. He and his representatives will probably sit back; maybe he could miss some offseason workouts and play that whole song and dance, so Dallas has to decide. Are they willing to pay him market value on a long-term deal that could be above $30 million per year?”

Pickens is coming off the most productive season of his career. He was named a second-team All-Pro after catching 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. All three figures were career highs.

Still, fellow analyst Damien Woody said he believes Dallas is doing the right thing by opting for the franchise tag in the event the two can’t reach a long-term deal. He opened up to close out the segment on Get Up.

“Absolutely, like, listen, George Pickens, you could make the case he was the best receiver on the Cowboys team last year,” Woody said. “But I haven’t forgotten everything that went on behind the scenes with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If I’m the Dallas Cowboys, I’m really going to say show me again. Go out there and show me again that what we saw last year is, that’s the expectation every year. If he does that then, yeah, I’ll reward him at that point.”