George Pickens stuck on the franchise tag, but the phone isn’t ringing in the NFL 
By slapping the franchise tag on George Pickens in February, the Dallas Cowboys locked up their receiver. Naturally, the rumour mill went into overdrive and everybody started talking about a possible trade. But behind the scenes? Dead quiet.
According to Stephen Jones, the team’s chief operating officer, not one club has even picked up the phone to ask the question. “We hate getting into these kinds of discussions, but no, nobody has called us to show interest in George Pickens,” he said on Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan.
The clock is ticking to July 15
Still, let’s not kid ourselves: not getting calls and not wanting to trade him are two very different things. For now, there’s no sign of a monster extension coming for the receiver. Under that tag, Pickens is due to make $27,29 millions in 2026. Jerry Jones may have said back in March that he wanted to keep him long term, but we know how the Cowboys handle these things.
The ghost of the Micah Parsons trade
The real issue in Dallas is this habit of dragging extensions out until they turn ugly. Just look at last year: talks with Micah Parsons went sour, and that ended with his blockbuster move to Green Bay.
The Cowboys have until July 15 to reach a deal with Pickens. If nothing’s signed by then, he’ll play out the season on that one-year deal. The 2026 NFL Draft could easily become the cleanest exit route if they decide to move him for picks. But first, they’d need a buyer. And, as a small detail, the player would also have to sign his tender to make a trade official. This one’s only just getting started.
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