The Dallas Cowboys have built an offense around high-end talent, but keeping every major piece together comes with difficult financial decisions. CeeDee Lamb already boasts one of the NFL’s biggest wide receiver contracts, while George Pickens is looking for a major payday of his own.
The Cowboys believe they can manage both commitments, yet the debate now centers on what that could cost them elsewhere on the roster. This concern has drawn a direct challenge from NFL insider Mike Florio.
Mike Florio Doubts Cowboys Can Keep CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens Long Term
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones recently said that retaining both receivers remains realistic, despite the team’s other major contracts.
Jones told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, “Yeah, just you got to tell me the rest [of our spending], too. At some point, you’ve got to figure that out. But no, I think it’s realistic.”
Speaking on the NFL on NBC, Florio challenged that outlook and pointed to the financial pressure Dallas could face if Pickens earns a market-level contract.
After Pickens’ breakout 2025 season, Florio believes the Cowboys could eventually face a choice between their two premier receivers.
“After Pickens had that great Monday night game against the Raiders, we started talking about the reality that at some point they may have to choose between George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, that you can’t keep both of these guys if Pickens is going to be making market value and Lamb is making what was market value when he got his deal done,” Florio said. “There’s only so many cap dollars. They have too many other needs. It just doesn’t make sense.”
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Florio also questioned whether the Cowboys can maintain that spending without creating problems at other positions.
“And Stephen Jones believes that they can keep both of them over the long term, that it’s realistic to keep both of them. I don’t buy it. I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.
The concern goes beyond the receiver room.
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Dak Prescott carries a $60 million annual average value, while Lamb’s four-year, $136 million extension averages $34 million.
Pickens is playing under the $27.3 million franchise tag, but another productive season could push his next contract toward $30 million to $40 million annually.
Florio pointed to the broader roster implications if Dallas makes that commitment.
“And if they do, they’re going to be hamstrung elsewhere under the salary cap because they’ll have too much invested,” Florio said. “It’ll be like the Texas version of the Bengals. You got too much invested in quarterback and two receivers.”
This concern matters because Dallas also committed $105.9 million to Quinnen Williams and needs to address a defense that allowed 30.1 points per game in 2025 and ranked dead last in PFN’s Defense Impact Score. The Cowboys have already used restructures involving Prescott, Lamb, and Tyler Smith to create $66 million in cap space.
Lamb has also made his preference clear, urging Jerry Jones to keep Pickens alongside him. For Dallas, however, the decision will not simply be about keeping its best offensive weapons together. It will be determining how much financial flexibility they need to bolster the rest of the roster.
