George Pickens had a breakout year with the Dallas Cowboys during the 2025 NFL season. He was acquired by the team last offseason, but he’s a pending free agent in this one. They are rumored to be planning to use their franchise tag on him, but a former wide receiver sent Jerry Jones a warning about doing so.
George Pickens’ Rumored Franchise Tag Could Create Controversy For Cowboys
Pickens emerged as one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL in his first year with the Cowboys after they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He may have initially been seen as a rental, considering his expiring contract, but his contributions would appear to have earned him an extension.
Jones is reportedly planning to place the franchise tag on the breakout wide receiver, rather than signing him to a new contract. T.J. Houshmandzadeh warned him against doing so, saying it could spark controversy.
“If you’re George Pickens, and you know that you’re going to get franchised, and he can be somewhat temperamental, how does that hit you? You had a great year, you finally had a quarterback that got you the ball, you finally got with a team that believes in you, this is your contract year, and they franchise you. That’s going to be the thing, that they have to tread very carefully down this road. Are they going to negotiate in good faith? That’s the key,” said Houshmandzadeh.
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Houshmandzadeh referenced that it may frustrate Pickens if he doesn’t receive a new contract and is instead forced to play out a one-year deal per the franchise tag. He believes the wide receiver earned a long-term contract, and given his excellent season, it’s hard to argue against it.
He placed third among all wide receivers in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for this season, trailing only Puka Nacua and Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Pickens also set new career-highs across the board with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns on his way to being selected to his first Pro Bowl. He was also named a second-team All-Pro, further demonstrating his elite output in Dallas.
The potential issue for Jones in contract negotiations is that he’s already paying CeeDee Lamb among the highest-paid players at his position. Having two wide receivers with massive contracts could create challenges in building out the rest of their roster, though Pickens may have proven to be an indispensable asset.
