After stalling for weeks, wide receiver George Pickens has finally put down his pen on the franchise tag offered by the Dallas Cowboys. It happened on April 23, just a few hours before the 2026 NFL Draft commenced. It will keep him in Dallas for the upcoming season. But it raises the question of what made the WR change his decision after so long. While neither the franchise nor the WR has spoken on the matter, Cowboys legend Michael Irvin seems to have a lead.

“He was saying to the Cowboys, please don’t draft another receiver,” said Michael Irvin during The White House podcast, via Nicky on X. “George [Pickens] took it off the table by signing the franchise tag. Make them do what Philly did by drafting a replacement for A.J. Brown while he’s still there. Why would George sign this, Brandon? It’s not about conceding any point during the negotiation. If we are truly negotiating, competing, but when we are working together, things like this happen. Why would you concede? Because I’m telling you guys, this is what I want to do, and this is where I want to be.”

This year, the Cowboys had two first-round picks. Although it was clear that they would draft a defensive player with one of them, the other one remained a hot topic for speculation. With the 2026 draft being a wide receiver-heavy class, they could have easily gone for a WR to replace Pickens in case he leaves. According to Irvin, this is what the Pro Bowler feared.

The Philadelphia Eagles had done the same. They drafted USC’s WR Makai Lemon to replace A.J. Brown. Brown is still in Philly, but there have been rumors of him leaving the franchise and going to the New England Patriots. So, the Eagles did not take any risks. They wanted to secure the position. Even if Brown left, they wouldn’t have to look for a replacement. With the Pickens saga going on for so long, the Cowboys could have followed the Eagles. But it seems the All-Pro did not take any risks.

Earlier in 2026, Pickens had expressed that he wanted to stay in Dallas. But with him entering free agency, he wanted a long-term contract instead of a short-term fix. However, the long-term contract would have been costly. Pickens’ 93 receptions for 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns made him one of the top WRs in the league.

It was speculated that his demand would reach $140 million for four years. Unfortunately, that is something the Cowboys could not have provided at that point in time. They were already $20 million over their salary cap and had to restructure several contracts, including that of quarterback Dak Prescott. Whatever space they had, they wanted to utilize it for their defense, especially since they ranked 30th (377 YPG) in total defense last year.

Owner Jerry Jones offered him a non-exclusive franchise tag. It allowed him to get offers from other franchises, but the Cowboys had the right to match them. But no franchise made any offers. It meant that he was going to stay in Dallas. However, it would have changed the scenario since he did not sign willingly.

It could have caused a rift between the team and him. Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened, and George Pickens is officially a Dallas Cowboys player for the 2026 season. With the franchise tag, he will be earning around $27.3 million this season. It is less compared to the $140 million valuation, which came to $35 million per year. Regardless, the decision also helped the Cowboys address their poor defense in the draft.

The Dallas Cowboys drafted multiple defensive players

The Dallas Cowboys went all out in the draft to draft defensive players. Several mock drafts predicted that they would go for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and they did. Initially, they were at No. 12. But they traded two fifth-round picks and the 12th pick to the Miami Dolphins to get the No. 11 pick. Ultimately, they got the Jim Thorpe Award-winning safety, who allowed zero touchdowns in the NCAA.

They did a similar thing with their second first-round pick as well. They had the 20th pick but traded it to the Eagles (No. 23) to save draft capital and select UCF edge Malachi Lawrence. On the second and third days, they picked a linebacker, a cornerback, an edge rusher, an offensive tackle, and a wide receiver.

A wide receiver? Yes, the Cowboys drafted a wide receiver, Anthony Smith, in the seventh round. However, it does not pose a threat to George Pickens. Smith is believed to add depth to the wide receiver room and be a competitive option as WR5/WR6. Coming out of East Carolina, Smith broke out with 105 receptions for 1,852 yards and 13 touchdowns over two seasons. The rookie is evaluated as an excellent 7th-round pick with high potential.

It seemed the Cowboys had a great draft. After failing to qualify for the playoffs over the last two seasons, they are now ready to return to the postseason. Jones is also pleased with the result. They have assembled all the pieces by drafting defensive players, re-signing George Pickens, and adding depth to various positions. All that remains is to see how they perform in the upcoming season.