Some teams are lucky enough to have just one star receiver. Well, the Dallas Cowboys have two superstar pass-catchers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Yet, after Pickens enjoyed a career year, he’s set to play out the season on the franchise tag. In other words, he’ll be playing on an expiring contract, with a chance to hit the open market next offseason.
Yet, both the Cowboys and Pickens have indicated they don’t plan to make this just a two-year partnership; both sides would like to be in it for the long haul. Now, the person who signs Pickens’s checks is sending a message.
Jerry Jones Sends Blunt Message to George Pickens
Pickens is set to earn $27.298 million on the franchise tag this year. That’s a fraction of what the very top receivers will be earning. For example, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ja’Marr Chase both landed contracts that pay them north of $40 million per season. That could be in the ballpark of where Pickens’s next contract pays him too.
As Cowboys owner Jerry Jones just said on the “Up & Adams Show,” Pickens can have another strong season and earn a “lot bigger” contract than the one he’s currently set to play on.
In other words, the Cowboys owner wants to see him prove it again after earning the first Pro Bowl selection of his four-year career.
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“On a personal basis, contract, no contract, I’ve been as motivated in the pursuit of a contract as I have been when I got the contract,” Jones said. “So, there is a whole lot of human makeup that the pursuit of doing better so that it will be better is a better motivator.
“Now, I’m not saying that’s here at all, but it is here, and he (Pickens) loves the game. And so, really, I take him at his word. That was that. We’re playing on that. He can come out here and have the year that he’s talented enough and mentally prepared to have, and that contract will be a lot bigger than it would have been.”
Jerry Jones on WR George Pickens:
“He can come out here and have the year that he’s talented enough and mentally prepared to have, and that contract would be a lot bigger than it would’ve been.”@dallascowboys | @George33101361 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/rm8VD6i15B
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 14, 2026
Last year, Pickens earned a 90.6 PFN Impact Score, good for third-best among NFL receivers. That’s even ahead of Chase, yet Pickens will still be raking in over $12 million less than the Cincinnati Bengals superstar.
Pickens ranked third in the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards last season. His nine touchdowns ranked eighth. If he’s in store for another season producing similar results, there’s no doubt Pickens will be able to secure a contract that pays him over $40 million per season, too.
The question is, will it come from the Cowboys, or will another team be more willing to help Pickens reset a market that continues to soar? After all, Dallas could have saved a few bucks by getting his contract done earlier this offseason, before Smith-Njigba and Chase signed their contracts.
Now, next season, if Pickens balls out again, the Cowboys will have no choice but to pay the sticker price. Yet, that seems to be exactly what Jones prefers, even if it means possibly paying a bit more in the long run.
