George Pickens has proven himself to be a risky two-sided blade, as the mercurial receiver is certainly productive but also polarizing both in and out of NFL locker rooms. It seems the Dallas Cowboys are trying to walk that line as they tagged Pickens with the franchise tag, but surprisingly chose not to make it exclusive.
Cowboys Haven’t Fully Committed To George Pickens Just Yet
When a receiver has a campaign like Pickens did in 2025, which saw him catch 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns, it usually means he’s in their long-term plans. This isn’t just any pass catcher, though; this is Pickens. Character issues have plagued the brilliantly talented athlete ever since his time with the Georgia Bulldogs, but will they hamper him from finding a guaranteed situation?
“Locked On Cowboys” host Marcus Mosher saw into the future when he posted to X on February 13th, saying, “Tell me why the Cowboys shouldn’t use the non exclusive franchise tag on George Pickens?” Mosher explained that this move would “take some of the work off the front office’s plate.”
Mosher quoted the announcement of the tag on Pickens from Todd Archer, who covers the Cowboys for ESPN, by saying, “This is what we were wondering about a week ago,” and then linked to his post from February 13th, seemingly manifesting the current Pickens situation into existence.
This is what we were wondering about a week ago:https://t.co/O4iNTMIP8W https://t.co/4objZHDDyy
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 27, 2026
RJ Ochoa, manager and editor in chief for “Blogging The Boys,” which covers the Cowboys for SBNation, was more succinct in how he evaluated the announcement: “Well, that is interesting.”
Well that is interesting. https://t.co/Eigb3tjCBW
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) February 27, 2026
Nick Harris, covering Dallas for both Star Telegram and “The Draft Show,” was much more detailed in how he broke the situation down for those who might not fully understand what the non-exclusive tag actually means.
Harris begins by stating that, “Pickens does not have to sign the tag until the Tuesday following Week 10 of the season. At that point, he’s ineligible to play in 2026,” and continued with, “For any hope that this would be an easy sign and play situation… yeah, this ain’t that. I’m expecting a hold out from offseason activities.”
He finished the post with some firm dates on when these decisions need to be made: “Whether he signs the tag or not, he has until July 15 to work out a long term deal, or else he hits free agency again in 2027.”
What to know:
– Pickens does not have to sign the tag until the Tuesday following Week 10 of the season. At that point, he’s ineligible to play in 2026.
– For any hope that this would be an easy sign-and-play situation… yeah, this ain’t that. I’m expecting a hold out from… https://t.co/Ufulk4klMi
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) February 27, 2026
Three minutes after Harris’s original post, he answered a reply on whether it was an exclusive or non-exclusive tag by pointing out another important detail, “Non-exclusive. But if another team agrees to a deal with Pickens, they would have to pay the Cowboys two first-round picks.” That level of compensation changes the conversation quite drastically.
Non-exclusive. But if another team agrees to a deal with Pickens, they would have to pay the Cowboys two first-round picks.
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) February 27, 2026
Spotrac also posted on X regarding the Pickens’ tag to shed some light on how challenging the Cowboys’ salary cap situation is. Pickens isn’t going to ease that at all, considering that they could potentially end up $68 million over the cap.
“WR George Pickens’ franchise tag will add an estimated $28M cap hold to the #Cowboys books, rendering them around $57M over a $303M league cap. Second-Round RFA tenders for Brandon Aubrey & T.J. Bass up that to -$68M. Plenty of work to do.”
WR George Pickens’ franchise tag will add an estimated $28M cap hold to the #Cowboys books, rendering them around $57M over a $303M league cap. Second-Round RFA tenders for Brandon Aubrey & T.J. Bass up that to -$68M.
Plenty of work to do. https://t.co/2fmx9bwd34
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 27, 2026
Staff Writer for “Blogging The Boys”, Brandon Loree, seems to be one of the few that doesn’t see this as a frustrating situation for both Pickens and the Cowboys front office. Loree posted on Friday, laying out the potential positives from the non-exclusive tag being used on the receiver.
“It would also give Dallas an idea of what Pickens’ market actually is with other teams getting involved. Even if it’s just to get a clearer idea on where the Cowboys need to be and get a deal done, it’s a win. If a team wants to give up 2 first round picks? Even better.”
It would also give Dallas an idea of what Pickens’ market actually is with other teams getting involved.
Even if it’s just to get a clearer idea on where the Cowboys need to be and get a deal done, it’s a win.
If a team wants to give up 2 first round picks?—even better. https://t.co/vBHl8NEDMD
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) February 27, 2026
While Pickens has certainly been productive since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has never made things easy for the team that has taken a chance on him. The Cowboys recognize what he brings to the table, but also the difficulties that he brings. The question is whether another team will look past his tendency to act out and pay the king’s ransom that will be owed by the Cowboys?
