George Pickens and the Dallas Cowboys have finally found some middle ground, putting all the speculation to rest. But even with that progress, it’s still not totally clear what the Cowboys’ long-term plan is for Pickens. However, the Cowboys owner is publicly extending an olive branch to Pickens’ agent Mulugheta, who was at the center of Micah Parsons’ contentious departure.

“Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called George Pickens’ representation — Trevon Smith and David Mulugheta — “accomplished”. According to Nick Harris’ X post, “and that he plans on working with them to negotiate Pickens’ future.”

Recently, wide receiver Pickens signed a one-year, $27.2 million franchise tag with Dallas. Although that locks him with the Cowboys in for now, a long-term extension is still very much on the table.

What makes this situation particularly interesting is the type of tag that the Cowboys have placed on him. They used a non-exclusive franchise tag, allowing him the freedom to negotiate with other teams.

The non-exclusive franchise tag gives the Cowboys leverage against Pickens. This means that should he choose to sign an offer with another team, they would have the right to match it, which would give them two first-round draft picks in return.

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Whereas Pickens has this opportunity, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons did not.

In 2025, the Cowboys traded All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. In return, Dallas gets first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, along with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Despite owner and GM Jerry Jones repeatedly insisting the Cowboys wouldn’t trade Parsons, the team ended up trading Parsons.

Parsons had been in the middle of a contract standoff with the Cowboys while pushing for a new extension. Notably, the Cowboys did not contact Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, to negotiate.

Instead of reaching a deal with the Cowboys, Parsons signed a four-year, $188 million extension with Green Bay in August 2025, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

As the post suggests, Jones is ready to work and negotiate with Mulugheta and Trevon Smith regarding Pickens.

However, NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network indicated that it could turn into a situation similar to what happened in the past.

“David Mulugheta does not like that tag.” Rapoport said, “He is not a fan. He has had guys who have been on the tag—he does not like it. So, I don’t know what George Pickens is gonna do, I just know, historically, you may not see him for a bit. You want him for the offseason program? Good luck. Because generally, those guys do not sign in March. They sign in late August. If you tag Pickens and don’t do a deal, it is going to be a while. It’s gonna be a saga.”

The next few months will show whether Pickens becomes a long-term piece in Dallas or if another team makes a move that changes everything.

Stephen Jones on George Pickens’ response to the franchise tag

Both the owner writing the checks and the player cashing them seem genuinely excited about where things stand.  Cowboys COO Stephen Jones shared details about a recent meeting between Jerry Jones and George Pickens.

“Jerry [Jones] had a great visit with him yesterday,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said Friday on The Rich Eisen Show. “He was fired up that he wasn’t going anywhere. We understand, too: economically, guys probably would prefer a long-term deal. But the franchise tag, economically, is not bad either. But he was very fired up about his future with us. We felt like he wanted to be in Dallas; he certainly said that to Jerry yesterday. Jerry just said he was on cloud nine that he was going to be a Cowboy again.”

That’s some strong praise, but realistically, most players would prefer long-term security over the one-year franchise tag.

And Pickens certainly deserves a well-structured, long-term contract. After being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he led the league in 2025 with 93 receptions and 1,429 receiving yards. He also scored nine touchdowns.

The Jones family has made it clear throughout the offseason that they have no interest in trading him. They want him in Dallas for the long haul.

Much has been said, and both sides have until July 15 to work out a multi-year contract. If they don’t reach an agreement by then, NFL rules require Pickens to either play on the one-year tag or sit out.