The George Pickens trade has worked out as well as the Dallas Cowboys could've hoped.
That means they'll have a decision to make at the end of the season.
This is the final year of Pickens' contract. If Dallas does nothing, Pickens would head into free agency and likely have a lot of high bidders around the league.
The Cowboys could work toward a long-term extension with Pickens, and if not, they could franchise tag him.
ESPN's insider duo of Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano both see a possible franchise tag in Pickens' future, which would go at a rate of $29 million.
"Most people I talk to around the league expect he'll do very well," Fowler writes. "Dallas has the option of using a franchise tag that would cost around $29 million."
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Graziano adds: "I believe there's a strong likelihood that the Cowboys franchise Pickens, assuming they remain as happy with him by the end of the season as they've been so far."
Pickens has 49 receptions for 764 yards and six touchdowns this season. His yardage and TDs both rank fourth among wide receivers in the NFL.
Given that Dallas sought out Pickens in a trade with the Steelers, it seems likely they'd want to keep him around and make their investment in him a longer-lasting one.
Pickens does have some personality, and maybe that makes a long-term deal slightly more complex. But the reality is that as long as the Cowboys have Dak Prescott, it'll be worth paying good WRs to stick around and catch passes from him.
So far, Pickens has done that in an extremely productive way. Dallas can keep him around and count on that to continue.
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