It appears nearly everyone in the NFL world sees George Pickens moving on from the Cowboys, with Dallas' salary cap issues once again being misunderstood.
The Dallas Cowboys are the talk of the NFL town right now, and were during the Super Bowl thanks to George Pickens.
With Pickens' looming contract "saga" set to dominate the headlines this offseason, something Cowboys Nation has gotten used to over the years, we are now getting all sorts of scenarios playing out.
Some think a long-term deal is coming. Others think the Cowboys will trade George away for as little as a second-round pick.
But perhaps the biggest thing that sticks in our craw over Pickens' new contract with Dallas is the constant misunderstanding of the Cowboys' salary cap.
So many think the Cowboys don't have the financial means to sign Pickens long-term, and we have repeatedly written here, and our own Mike Fisher has stated on The Fish Report that Dallas DOES have the cap space needed. ... when needed.
A few flips of the switches on only Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb frees up nearly $50 million in cap space. Toss in the same move with Tyler Smith? More than enough to sign Pickens to his franchise tag of $28 million APY.
But again, here we are with PFF's Mason Cameron, listing the New York Jets as the best landing spot for Pickens. Why? Because Dallas lacks the financial means for a long-term deal.
"As PFF’s top-ranked offensive free agent, Pickens, if he hits the open market, will have nearly every NFL franchise as a suitor," Cameron wrote. "The Cowboys lack the cap space to facilitate a long-term deal, and recent reports from NFL insider Ian Rapoport indicate that Pickens could be a candidate for the franchise tag and a subsequent trade."
So once again, a complete misunderstanding of Dallas' cap situation.
Yes, right now, the Cowboys are $29 million over the cap, per Over The Cap, but Dak's contract restructure frees up nearly $31 million. And Dallas is in the green.
But let's be clear. The Cowboys, like all other 31 teams, will be cap compliant by the beginning of the new league year, and in one move, we've shown you how.
That's without doing Lamb's deal, or Tyler Smith, Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, and Osa Odighizua. Those moves and a few others free up over $100 million in space.
So the only way that Pickens moves on from the Cowboys is if the Cowboys don't want to pay George long-term.
They have the financial means to do it easily and go free-agency shopping, too.
But again, is the desire to swing big still there for Jerry? The critics and the misunderstandings can go away. ... if he's true to his "break the budget'' promise.