As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 14, questions about the future of wide receiver George Pickens are as prevalent as ever.
Pickens isn't making things easy on the Cowboys in terms of making a decision about whether or not to keep him around past this season.
The former second-round pick has been one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL this season and has even out-produced his teammate and the Cowboys' No. 1 wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, in receiving yards per game.
While the Cowboys should have the funds to afford a Pickens extension, Dallas will have to weigh committing a sizeable chunk of its salary cap on two wide receivers after paying Lamb a large sum of money recently.
A definitive George Pickens answer?
The Cowboys are going to wait until the offseason to make a decision on Pickens, but according to a team source that spoke to ESPN's Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler, Pickens isn't going anywhere:
"He ain't leaving," the source told the ESPN reporters.
Pickens' $30 million floor for contract projection
It is estimated that Pickens will be looking for a contract that pays him at least $30 million annually, which would put him in the top 10 of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL.
"Multiple league sources predict Pickens will shoot for a massive number based on his play — quite possibly in the $30 million-and-up range that nine different receivers occupy, putting him close to or even in the class of Lamb, Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, who signed the league's richest receiver deal (four years, $161 million) in March," the ESPN reporters wrote.
The Cowboys also have the option of tagging Pickens, which would come in at about $28 million next year.
The most likely scenario for Dallas will be to slap the franchise tag on Pickens.
We don't anticipate this negotiation being easy, so the tag gives the Cowboys more time to work something out with the veteran wideout without having to risk losing him in free agency.
If the two sides still can't get something done after the tag, the Cowboys have the option to trade Pickens or let him play out the season on the tag, although it's not clear if Pickens would be amenable to that, which could lead to a holdout.
What should the Cowboys do?
While it's easy to say the Cowboys should definitely keep Pickens right now based on what we have seen this season, an extension remains a risky proposition for multiple reasons.
Not only do the Cowboys have to worry about Pickens reverting back to his old ways that wore out his welcome in Pittsburgh (we've seen some flashes of that in Dallas), they will also be dedicating a ton of money at one position when they could be spending that money to add one or two more players elsewhere.
The most the Cowboys should do is franchise tag Pickens.
If he is completely unwilling to play on the tag, trade him, get draft capital and spend that money elsewhere.
Granted, that would leave the Cowboys short at wide receiver, but Dallas will have plenty of draft capital and money to bring in a cheaper replacement who can serve as a No. 2 to Lamb.
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