One of the biggest decisions the Dallas Cowboys will have to make this coming offseason is what to do with wide receiver George Pickens.
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason, Pickens has been everything Dallas could've hoped for, and then some.
Entering Week 17, Pickens ranks third in the NFL in receiving yards and seventh in touchdowns through the air. Pickens has easily surpassed his career-best totals in those categories (1,342 receiving yards, nine touchdowns).
Pickens is slated to be a free agent in 2026, and he is not going to be cheap, whether the Cowboys extend him or utilize the franchise tag.
George Pickens contract projection
Franchise tag projection: $28.04 million
Contract extension projection: Four years, $122.8 million
The Cowboys have several avenues they can go with Pickens.
The most unlikely is simply letting him walk in free agency.
The Cowboys can also utilize the franchise tag on Pickens, which would give Dallas more time to work out an extension if the team can't get something done with him before he hits the open market.
The franchise tag would also allow the Cowboys to trade Pickens instead of allowing him to leave for nothing in free agency.
Of course, the Cowboys can let Pickens play out the entire 2026 campaign on the franchise tag, although that could lead to Pickens holding out until he gets a new deal or gets traded.
Last but not least, the Cowboys could simply get an extension done before needing to take the franchise tag route, although doing so would lead to the Cowboys having a huge chunk of their salary cap wrapped up in two wideouts when considering CeeDee Lamb's monster deal.
What should the Cowboys do?
Answer: Tag and trade Pickens
Considering the Cowboys' need for funds to improve the rest of the roster and the unpredictable nature of Pickens, who has a history of behavioral issues, something we've seen in Dallas, the Cowboys should tag and trade the veteran wideout for draft capital while allocating the funds they would've used on him elsewhere.
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