Pickens may have to cave to Cowboys or be forcefed $111M over 4 years

The Dallas Cowboys really do hold all of the cards. The team made a very smart trade last May, after failing to have Tetoria McMillan fall to them in the first round, the Cowboys gave up their 2026 third-round pick along with a 2027 Day 3 pick swap to acquire WR George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cowboys needed to improve their passing game, and adding Pickens to WR CeeDee Lamb worked extremely well.

But now, a year later, and the two sides are in a predictable contract face-off. The fourth-year wideout balled out to an All-Pro level , making the trade for a player with just one year remaining on his deal worth it. The Cowboys aren't ready to pay him at the top-of-the-market though, and Pickens wants to be compensated at a level that equals his status in the league.

If both sides dig in, there may be the usual offseason drama in Dallas, but this time the Cowboys organization has a strong upper hand. The Cowboys have allowed Pickens to explore deals with other teams; that's what the non-exclusive tag allows. Thus far, there's been little chatter about a team willing to engage in trade talks with the Cowboys and give Pickens the contract amount he's seeking.

Pickens can't sign an offer sheet with a club without the acquiring team committing two first-round picks to Dallas. The parameters of a deal would have to be agreed to, unofficially, and then the club engage in trade talks with the Cowboys for less than two firsts. So even in this way, the Cowboys hold all of the cards, but it goes much deeper than that.