At long last, the dotted line has finally been inked by Dallas Cowboys star George Pickens. He will officially be playing the 2026 season with the team on a franchise tag. But that settles the dust for now. When 2027 comes around, Pickens will once again be the topic of the offseason. However, according to NFL Insider Mike Tannenbaum, the WR might not get to suit up in Dallas colors at that time.

On The Pat McAfee Show, Tannenbaum was asked if Jerry Jones would give Pickens another franchise tag next year. But in 2027, things get much more difficult for the Cowboys if Pickens and CeeDee Lamb are both in the picture. Financially, it might not be possible for Dallas to keep both of them.

“I don’t think they will, though, because that’s 20%,” Tannenbaum said. “That would be $34-35 million, which is a lot to pay on another one-year deal, especially when you got CeeDee on the other side.”

This season, Pickens will get approximately $27.3 million. Considering the Cowboys were to franchise tag him for another year, there would be a hike of 20%, which comes to around $33 million. Along with the incentives, it could easily reach $35 million. So, paying such a huge sum to a player for one season could turn out to be a double-edged knife for the Cowboys. And, there is absolutely no guarantee that Pickens maintains the form that made him a star in 2025. Besides, they already have a top wideout in CeeDee Lamb.

He signed an extension in 2024, which has extended his stay through the 2028 season. Lamb’s $136 million contract comes to an average of $34 million annually. So, the franchise won’t prefer to pay the same amount to both wideouts, as it could seriously affect the salary cap. Experts have theorized that any rise in Pickens’ payout would force the team to also bump up the number for Lamb. Even though the latter said that he doesn’t mind Pickens earning more than him, and actually advocated for him to be on the team, these contracts will not be financially viable for the Cowboys.

“I think you get through this year, let him go, and then go draft somebody else,” Tannenbaum added. “Because I just can’t imagine they’re going to break up that Dak CeeDee combination. … I just can’t imagine that they would go back-to-back years on the franchise tag.”

Pickens was the better wideout among the two last year, recording 1,429 yards compared to Lamb’s 1,077 yards. But he’d been brought to Dallas as a temporary option; Lamb has been with the team since the 2020 season. There is more chemistry between him and the quarterback. Pickens playing like that was an absolute surprise for the team. With this move, Dallas gets to have the best of the WR for one more year and get someone new next year. Had they done that this year, things would have become tricky for Pickens.

Michael Irvin reveals George Pickens’ motive behind signing the franchise tag

George Pickens had stalled the Dallas Cowboys for a long time, choosing not to attend workouts at the facility during the offseason. It seemed like an ugly situation, with Jerry Jones suggesting the WR was better off without an agent during these negotiations. But according to Fox Sports, Pickens had informed the team that he would be signing the tag hours before the draft was to begin. That, according to Michael Irvin, said a lot about where Pickens’ heart was all this time.

“He was saying to the Cowboys, please don’t draft another receiver,” he said on The White House podcast. “George 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.”

If Pickens had not signed, they could have easily drafted WR Makai Lemon at 20th. But that did not happen, and the Cowboys traded the 20th pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for their 23rd pick. Lemon going to the Eagles with that pick makes it very clear that Brown will be getting the cut sooner or later. Dallas also drafted WR Anthony Smith towards the end, but he will most likely be used for depth chart insurance for this season. For now, the focus is on George Pickens.

“We have no intention of moving George,” chief operating officer and co-owner Stephen Jones told the press after Day 1 of the draft. “We’re fired up about him signing his [tag], because it means he’s ready to come in here and get to work. … We have zero intention of moving [him].”

Next year, however, Stephen might adopt a different perspective.