Should I Start George Pickens?

Monday, April 27, 7:06 PM

Wide receiver George Pickens has not yet signed the franchise-tag tender with the Dallas Cowboys, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. Reports surfaced last week before the 2026 NFL draft that Pickens planned to sign the franchise tender, but it has not happened yet. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said last week that the team won't sign the 25-year-old pass-catcher to a long-term extension before the July 15 deadline, so Pickens is expected to play out the 2026 campaign on the franchise tag. Things could get messy, though, as Pickens is expected to be a holdout into training camp and the preseason. If he plays 2026 on the franchise tag, he'll be owed a guaranteed $27.3 million. There's also a possibility that Dallas looks to trade Pickens if a long-term deal can't be reached. The former second-rounder by Pittsburgh in 2022 out of Georgia had a career-best 93-1,429-9 line in 17 games in his first year in Dallas in 2025, which will put him firmly in the WR1 draft rankings for the upcoming season.