The Cowboys saw things go pear-shaped with Micah Parsons last offseason; it couldn't happen again with George Pickens, could it?
The contract saga with the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons was just downright childish, on both sides.
Dallas and its star pass rusher simply couldn't get on the same page in contract talks, with the Cowboys not even talking to Micah's agent, David Mulugheta.
That sent fans and media into a spin at how bad things got, and Parsons was shipped off to Green Bay.
Now comes another offseason and another contract saga.
Different player, in George Pickens, but same agent.
Cowboys fans will be forgiven for thinking that this could follow a similar path.
Dallas slapped the franchise tag on Pickens weeks ago, and since then? No talks have taken place over a long-term deal.
Lightning couldn't strike twice, could it?
Fox Sports' Henry McKenna hopes the Cowboys don't make the same mistake with George as they did with Micah.
"Pickens proved he is capable of being a WR1 in the times when CeeDee Lamb was hurt — and so that probably makes Pickens the best WR2 in the NFL," McKenna wrote.
"Given the way everything fell apart with Micah Parsons and Jones last offseason, you’d think the Cowboys wouldn’t want to make the same mistake twice — overcomplicating their relationship with one of their best players. But maybe that contract dispute won’t inform this one."
The thing going in Dallas' favor right now, if you want to call it that, is that COO Stephen Jones and Jerry haven't been throwing barbs at Pickens and his agent through the media as they did with Micah.
In fact, Stephen went so far as to shut down any contract-related questions from the media at the owners' meeting.
That's a positive step.
But Cowboys Nation has been here before, and until Pickens signs that long-term deal, there will always be that nagging feeling in the back of their minds that Dallas will screw this up.
Dallas loves Pickens, and Pickens loves Dallas.
With No. 3 on the field, the Cowboys have an offense capable of winning a Super Bowl, so George's importance to Dallas is clear.
The Cowboys have said all the right things this offseason and have been quiet when the topic gets brought up. Will that lead to a nice resolution for Pickens' future?
Fans sure hope so.