Pickens' explosive season fuels contract talks. Dallas wants him back, but a familiar agent's history sparks urgent parallels to Micah Parsons' saga.
The future of Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens has been bubbling away under the surface since the franchise traded for him last offseason.
Seen as a boom-or-bust move, the Cowboys knew CeeDee Lamb needed help, and goodness me, in 2025, 88 was a secondary character to George.
Pickens would explode to the tune of 1,429 yards and 9 TDs from 93 receptions to earn his first Pro Bowl nod. With each passing week, Pickens added more money to his impending contract in the offseason.
Yes, there were a few stumbles, but for the most part, Pickens was exactly what Dallas and Cowboys Nation wanted -- a demon on the field.
His connection with head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Dak Prescott, and Lamb, everyone has one overriding thought when it comes to Pickens and his status in 2026.
They want him at The Star.
But of course, money talks, especially with the Cowboys.
The franchise tag, as we have discussed here, at $28 million APY, is the most likely avenue for the Cowboys.
But does Dallas still want to keep the offensive band together with Pickens?
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones once again made his feelings clear.
"We won't get into any details right now," Jones said. "Certainly, we want George to be back here in Dallas, and we'll certainly go from there."
So there appears to be common ground with Pickens and the Cowboys.
Both want the desired result, but the path to it is delicate.
We saw last season how things can quickly go pear-shaped with Micah Parsons, and Pickens has the same agent as Micah. Potential yikes.
George has stated his desire to stay, and the Cowboys want him to. So it will be interesting to see if either party makes concessions to get a deal done early and avoid another unnecessary, messy contract saga in the offseason.
Let's be frank: Dallas made a promise and had a plan with Micah - and then, for a variety of reasons, the plan was not executed.
There is no reason to repeat those errors here.
Jerry Jones loves headlines, but in this instance, there's zero need to drag it out.
Stephen stated that the Cowboys want Pickens in Dallas, so the path forward is simple, right?
Make sure No. 3 doesn't leave the building.