A career season on the stat sheet for George Pickens is now unfolding alongside a growing conversation about discipline, timing, and what comes next for both the receiver and the Dallas Cowboys. While Pickens emerged as one of the league’s most productive wideouts this season, multiple off-field infractions, ranging from tardiness to team rule violations, have followed him into a crucial contract offseason. And now, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has addressed those concerns head-on.

“I’ve missed a few myself,” Jones said when asked about Pickens being late to multiple team meetings, according to Dallas News. “Something came up.”

According to Dallas News, acknowledging the reports, Jones said, “I’ve missed a few myself… Something came up.”

Jones didn’t deny the discipline issues existed, instead choosing to put them into perspective.

“As long as he cares about the team, and he does, things like being late to meetings, missing a bus, little annoyances like that, that’s forgivable,” Jones added. “What matters is whether you’re committed to winning and being a good teammate.”

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That’s encouraging for Pickens, who’s been at the center of one too many discipline issues this year. It became especially evident when the Cowboys played on the road against the Raiders, and Pickens, along with fellow wideout CeeDee Lamb, broke curfew.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, as a form of punishment, sat Pickens out in the first drive of the game, putting him back in the second possession. Across the season, Pickens also racked up six fines for multiple infringements, and Schottenheimer claimed that Pickens’ punctuality had been a recurring issue.

According to multiple reports, the receiver was also fined by the Cowboys internally this year, but insider Mike Florio eased the tension a little.

“That has been twisted into a claim that Archer has reported the Cowboys fined Lamb ‘multiple times.’ That’s not what [Todd] Archer said. … For now, it doesn’t look like the Cowboys have launched a smear campaign.”

Apparently, Jerry Jones can live with that as long as Pickens cares for the team, and with his performances this season, he has proved that he does. He racked up 1,429 receiving yards and nine scores for the season, and it was primarily because of him that Dallas didn’t miss out on offensive prowess when Lamb was sidelined. That’s all that matters to the front office.

Now, the team can let him go, sign him to a long-term extension, or franchise tag him, but Jerry Jones has yet to make a move.

Countdown starts for Jerry Jones’ decision

Jerry Jones, along with multiple Cowboys players, including Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, have time and again confirmed that they want George Pickens back next year. A trade is pretty unlikely, so if they cannot agree on a deal during the offseason, the front office will probably put a franchise tag on him, which would be worth $28 million.

However, NFL insiders have recently noted that while tagging Pickens is expected, it does not automatically guarantee he will remain in Dallas, with a potential tag-and-trade scenario being discussed around the league.

According to Spotrac, a long-term deal could see Pickens earn a 5-year contract, worth $153.7, close to $30.8 million annually. If the deal goes through, it would make Pickens the sixth-highest earning wideout in the entire league. Jerry Jones has confirmed that a long-term deal is financially viable.

“Absolutely,” Jerry Jones claimed, when asked about being able to pay Pickens’ market value. “A lot of the reasons I did some of the things that I did last year were to retain some players that, if it had gone in different directions, I couldn’t have done it.”

The front office can put the tag on him, starting Tuesday, and will have the option to do so before the March 3rd deadline. When the deadline passes, Jerry Jones will have time until July 15 to offer him an extension.

“If Pickens signs the tender right away, he is guaranteed to make at least $28M in 2026,” ESPN’s Todd Archer shared. “But it is not likely he signs the tender immediately and gives up even his tiny bit of leverage on a long-term deal. The Cowboys have used the NFL scouting combine as the jumping-off point in most negotiations, so they will likely meet with Pickens’ agents.”

Considering the fact that Pickens and Micah Parsons share the same agent, we can expect this saga to last right up to the edge of the deadline, and all Dallas fans can hope for right now is that history doesn’t repeat itself.