The contract situation between the Dallas Cowboys and George Pickens just seemed to have ended, but COO Stephen Jones poured gasoline on the fire. He stated that the Cowboys had no intention of giving Pickens a long-term contract after his excellent performance last season.

However, that comment did not seem to sit well with NFL and Cowboys legend Michael Irvin. The former wide receiver opened up on the situation and criticized his former team’s COO for their handling of the situation.

“I don’t need you to say there’s no long-term deal in the works this year,” said Michael Irvin on DLLS Sports. “I don’t know why Stephen did that… But that was a little flexing for me. You ain’t got to let everybody know… I didn’t need it.”

Irvin feels that Jones saying that out loud may not be a good look for the franchise. He is not playing the blame game, but he feels the Cowboys could have handled the situation better. Pickens wanted a long-term deal, but with the Cowboys being almost $20 million over the salary cap in the initial phase of the offseason, the franchise halted that thought.

Both Jerry and Stephen Jones were against letting Pickens go. So, they offered him a $27 million franchise tag. Ultimately, after much drama, the WR receiver finally put his pen down on the contract. But in April, Stephen Jones confirmed that they had no plans for a long-term deal.

“We have a decision that we’re gonna have George Pickens play under the franchise tag, which won’t be a first for us,” said Stephen Jones on 105.3 The Fan in April. “So, there won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal.”

Irvin’s thoughts came after he thought that the franchise was flexing; they got away without signing Pickens on a long-term deal. There are a few perspectives that actually exist for viewing the situation. The first one is that it is a good decision on the Cowboys’ part, since the franchise tag cost them a little over $27 million, compared to the $30 million average salary in the case of a long-term contract.

However, there is also the fact that franchise tags are absolute, while contracts can be restructured. If the Cowboys had given Pickens a long-term contract, they could have restructured it and opened up more cap space and signed more players.

But there is also a plus side to the story. Jones’ statement may have done Pickens good. It avoids giving false hopes to him or the media about the contract. So, there are a lot of ways that things can go. Ultimately, it all comes down to the same place: how will the present situation affect George Pickens’ future?

What does George Pickens’ future hold for him?

Last season, George Pickens was an absolute beast for the Dallas Cowboys‘ offense. With CeeDee Lamb signing a $136 million contract for four years in 2024, many thought he would be the star of the offense. However, Pickens’ 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 93 receptions saw him perfectly complement Lamb.

Those jaw-dropping stats were not enough to earn him a long-term contract. His off-field controversies are one of the many reasons for this. He was sidelined against the Las Vegas Raiders for visiting a casino with Lamb past the curfew time. While playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he faced backlash for calling the organization “cheap.” Although he claimed it was AI, it remained a black spot in his NFL career.

Besides the off-the-field drama, the franchise may also want to hold out on him since it was his first season in Dallas. Rather than giving him top dollars after one season, the Cowboys may want to check his consistency. If he ticks all the boxes, maybe he will finally get a long-term contract like Lamb.

However, there is also the possibility of the franchise using a second franchise tag on him in 2027. They had previously done it with franchise quarterback Dak Prescott in 2020 and 2021. While trading is also an option for the Cowboys, Stephen Jones had previously said that he won’t be trading it. But it is still too early to predict how Pickens’ second in Dallas would unravel. A lot is riding on his performance in the upcoming season.