George Pickens signs tag

The second worse case scenario for the Dallas Cowboys in this situation rears its ugly head here. George Pickens signs the franchise tag for the Dallas Cowboys, as this means that he will not have a long-term contract heading into next year

Still want to clarify that this doesn't mean that Pickens is solidified to be on the team because he could still be traded to another team over the summer, but it does mean that if nothing happens, Pickens will play for the Dallas Cowboys next year. Now here's why this can and probably will prove to be detrimental to the Dallas Cowboys.

Jamarr Chase reset the market last year with a contract of about four-year, $161 million contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals in March 2025, running through the 2029 season. Justin Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings in June 2024, running through the 2028 season. The deal includes $110 million in total guaranteed money and averages $35 million per year, making him the highest paid non-qb in the league. If George pickens is able to reproduce what he did this past year next year, Pickens and his agent will push for this type of contract and Jerry and company will have zero leverage on the deal.

As it stands, Prescott is still the signal-caller and the general on the field. Schotty is still calling the plays and will see a heavy dose of Pickens involved plays. So it looks more than likely, especially now that Dak and Pickens have had a full season under their belt, that Pickens will see another heavy workload this season.

I understand Jerry's hesitance to give Pickens a contract because he doesn't want the Cowboys to be tied up financially, however, doing this only gives more chance that Pickens one ups what he did the season before. Financially, the Cowboys cannot afford that, and the Cowboys have a history of handling these decisions on the wrong side, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot, Ceedee Lamb and Micah Parsons. All situations had the same issue that they waited too long to secure deals and as a result, the prices drove up and the contracts tied them up with money.