Report: Cowboys open to George Pickens trade even on franchise tag

On Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Dallas Cowboys intend to use their franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens. The team has between Feb. 17 and March 3 to use its tag.

The franchise tag would reportedly force the Cowboys to pay Pickens a fully-guaranteed $28 million next year. With the report, many Cowboys fans could exhale, assuming Pickens will be back on the roster next season. Evidently, Dallas fans can’t relax quite yet.

“The #Cowboys have shown a willingness to trade their stars for significant draft pick compensation. George Pickens’ situation will be fascinating to watch, as he’ll have no shortage of suitors,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X Sunday.

George Pickens was traded to the Cowboys last offseason after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was spectacular in his debut campaign with the Cowboys, recording 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns this past season.

Pickens’ 1,429 receiving yards were the third-most in the NFL. Since the Cowboys’ season ended, the team’s ownership has expressed its desire to return Pickens next season.

“I’m talking to Geroge all the time by virtue of my excitement for him,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, via DallasCowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish. “He’s better than, as far as what he contributed to our team, showing the potential that he could contribute. I’m looking forward to getting things worked out so George can be a Cowboy a long time.”

Evidently, the Cowboys’ front office is also willing to hear other teams’ offers. If the Cowboys trade Pickens, some of the team’s players may be frustrated.

“It doesn’t matter, whichever way that they got to do it, he’s an important piece of this offense, an important piece of what we’re trying to do. I’ll leave it to those guys,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said of re-signing Pickens, per The Athletic‘s Jon Machota.

“Obviously if I need to get involved, I’ve said it before, I will. But (I’m) confident in (Cowboys owner Jerry Jones) and everybody who makes those decisions and how much he means to us.”

The Cowboys posted a 7-9-1 record in the 2025-26 campaign. It was Brian Schottenheimer‘s first season as the Cowboys’ head coach. Last week, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones emphasized that the organization wants to provide Schottenheimer with the roster necessary to succeed in his second year at the helm.