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EspañolDallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens won't be a free agent during the 2026 NFL offseason after all.
The Cowboys announced Feb. 27 that they were placing the franchise tag on Pickens. It marks the first time the club has used the tender to prevent a player from reaching unrestricted free agency since running back Tony Pollard in 2023.
Dallas placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pickens. That will allow the 24-year-old receiver to negotiate with other teams; in turn, the Cowboys would have the right to match any offer sheet Pickens signs or recoup two future first-round selections should they decline to match.
The Cowboys were widely expected to use their franchise tag on Pickens, who earned his first-ever Pro Bowl nod after his first season in Dallas and was named an All-Pro second teamer.
The maneuver will buy the Cowboys until July to agree to a long-term extension with him. If the two parties cannot reach a deal by then, Pickens will only be eligible to sign the one-year tender – worth just shy of $27.3 million for receivers in 2026 – to play in Dallas.
What could a contract between Pickens and the Cowboys look like? Here's a look at the current state of the NFL's wide receiver market and how Pickens could fit into it.
George Pickens stats
Pickens was a strong starter across his first three NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers but broke out in 2025 after being traded to Dallas.
Pickens quickly developed chemistry with Dak Prescott and became a reliable downfield weapon for the Cowboys. The young wide-out led Dallas in targets (137), receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and receiving touchdowns (9) as the team's top receiver, CeeDee Lamb, was impacted by a sprained ankle that caused him to miss three games.
Pickens – who tips the scales at 6-3, 200 pounds – continued to be a big-time vertical threat during his first season in Dallas, thanks to his great body control and contested catch skills. That helped him to average 15.4 yards per reception, which ranked seventh-best among qualified receivers during the 2025 NFL season.
Below is a full look at Pickens' career stats across his four NFL seasons to date:
- Games: 65
- Targets: 430
- Receptions: 267
- Receiving yards: 4,270
- Receiving TDs: 21
- Yards per reception: 16.0
Pickens' breakout campaign, youth and consistent production amid a revolving door of quarterbacks in Pittsburgh positions the 24-year-old well to demand a contract that places him among the NFL's highest-paid wide receivers.
Highest-paid NFL wide receivers
Just one NFL wide receiver is presently paid more than $40 million in average annual value (AAV): Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase.
Pickens may not quite threaten Chase's status atop the totem pole. However, he could certainly land a deal that places him among the league's highest-paid wide-outs.
Below is a look at the NFL's highest-paid receivers in terms of AAV and total contract value, per OverTheCap.com:
AAV
- Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals: $40.25 million
- Justin Jefferson, Vikings: $35 million
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys: $34 million
- DK Metcalf, Steelers: $33 million
- Garrett Wilson, Jets: $32.5 million
- A.J. Brown, Eagles: $32 million
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: $30.003 million
- Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers: $30 million
- Terry McLaurin, Commanders: $29 million
- Tee Higgins, Bengals: $28.75 million
Total contract value
- Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals: $161 million
- Justin Jefferson, Vikings: $140 million
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys: $136 million
- DK Metcalf, Steelers: $132 million
- Garrett Wilson, Jets: $130 million
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions: $120.01 million
- Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers: $120 million
- Tee Higgins, Bengals: $115 million
- DJ Moore, Bears: $110 million
- A.J. Brown, Eagles: $96 million
George Pickens contract projection
- Term: 4 years
- Total value: $124 million
- Average annual value (AAV): $31 million
- Guaranteed money: $75 million
When assessing Pickens' potential value, one contract stands out as a quality point of comparison: the four-year, $115 million dealTee Higgins signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2025.
Higgins is a comparable player to Pickens. He stands at 6-4, 220 pounds and has established himself as a quality contested-catch weapon across his six seasons with the Bengals.
Higgins is fully capable of operating as a No. 1 receiver, but he hasn't often been asked to operate in that role, as he plays across from Ja'Marr Chase. Pickens finds himself in a similar boat, serving as the "1B" option to CeeDee Lamb's "1A" in Dallas.
The Cowboys may like to exactly replicate Higgins' deal in negotiations with Pickens. However, a few factors will likely force Dallas to pay a bit more for Pickens' services.
Notably, Higgins was 26 when he signed his lucrative extension with the Bengals. Pickens will only turn 25 on March 4.
Pickens also has both a Pro Bowl nod and an All-Pro second-team selection to his name ahead of negotiations. Higgins only made his first Pro Bowl in 2025 and has never earned an All-Pro selection of any type.
Those differences should allow Pickens to command at least $30 million in AAV as part of his deal. His overall deal could look somewhat similar in structure to that of Garrett Wilson – who signed his long-term deal with the Jets just eight days before his 25th birthday – and a $31 million AAV price-tag closely aligns with Pickens' $30.6 million AAV projected market value, per Spotrac.com.
Would the Cowboys be willing to pay both Lamb and Pickens as top-10 NFL receivers? That remains to be seen. But given that the Bengals did so with Chase and Higgins, it certainly can't be ruled out.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Projecting potential George Pickens, Cowboys contract details