Pickens signed his tender, tying him to the Cowboys for the 2026 season, but now fans want to know when No. 3 will show up this offseason.
The George Pickens contract saga for the Dallas Cowboys had the potential to drag on into the offseason, much like Micah Parsons' last season.
With Pickens not signing his tag as the NFL Draft began, some thought that things were trending south between the player and the franchise.
But alas, in a move that was met with a big exhale from Cowboys nation, Pickens signed the franchise tag, guaranteeing $27.3 million for the 2026 season.
Now, though, the next checkpoint is when will Pickens show up for the offseason.
Given that all workouts until June 1 are voluntary, it isn't expected that Pickens will show up, frankly, because he doesn't need to.
If he doesn't show up for the mandatory part of the offseason program, then we have a problem, but right now, it doesn't feel like that will be George's plan.
And for head coach Brian Schottenheimer, he wasn't one of the many people taken aback by Pickens signing his tender.
Yeah, was not surprised he signed the tender," Schottenheimer said. "The communication with GP along the whole offseason has been great. This is voluntary, but I think at the end of the day, I am excited to see him when I see him, and I'm not sure when that's going to be.
"I just know that he knows where he wants to get better and improve, and I think that I'm looking forward to seeing him backing around whenever he gets here.”
So, Schottenheimer doesn't seem too concerned about where Pickens is in his offseason program.
We've heard reports that Pickens has been working out with Dak Prescott, so he's getting reps in ahead of minicamp, which is a plus.
Schotty seems content with where things stand with George right now, likely because the tag has been signed. Had Pickens not signed it, this could have gotten ugly.
But with George's future, for now, settled, there is no drama for the Cowboys this offseason, which is a little unsettling, but refreshing at the same time.
It is a clean slate where the main thing, for once in the last decade, is the main thing, and that is how it should be.
There's no contract drama, just football, but until Pickens shows up, there will be some sections of the fanbase and national media that think it is only a matter of time before this thing blows up and we have a typical Cowboys drama to headline the offseason.
But right now, it's drama free.