The Cowboys made it clear they won't negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens, preferring to play him under the franchise tag in 2026.
Most were taken aback by Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones' comments on George Pickens and his contract at the team's pre-draft press conference.
With the Cowboys slapping the franchise tag on Pickens, which, if he signs it, will pay him a cool $27.3 million in 2026, so far, George has yet to sign it.
But Stephen stated that the Cowboys won't be negotiating with Pickens, and they intend for the Pro Bowler to play on the tag. So, no long-term contract for George.
For some, that is a little puzzling.
Why would you openly state that you are no longer talking contract with one of your best players? Especially considering that a long-term deal would actually benefit the Cowboys, salary-cap-wise.
Well, our own Mike Fisher has three reasons why he thinks Dallas decided to go down this route.
"Reason No. 1 that this fell apart the way it has, maybe Pickens is asking too much in his contract proposal,” Fish said on the Fish Report. "Reason No. 2, Dallas could be saying, 'We want to see some more behavioral good stuff. Reason No. 3, and unlikely as it seems, this is the one being gossiped about, maybe it's because the Cowboys are going to trade him.''
Fish continues ...
Some people are saying, "Just draft Jordyn Tyson from Arizona State and trade George. Well, Tyson's going to have to be there at 12. He might not be. And another team's gonna have to give you a premium pick for George Pickens. I'm not taking slop for him.
"So those are the three reasons why the Cowboys would do this. He's asking for too much. They still worry about his behavior, or there's a top-secret trade a brewin'.;;
There you have it. Some potential reasons.
If Pickens is indeed asking for too much, plus the Cowboys, who haven't even had George in the building for a year yet, want to make sure all of those behavioral issues are behind him (there were reportedly some last season). Or they are looking to trade him.
But Fish also stated, regarding the trade, that if a team comes calling looking for a receiver and offers up a first-round pick, why wouldn't that team just use that pick to draft a receiver? And one who will be a lot cheaper compared to Pickens?
So, there are a lot of speculative reasons why the Cowboys decided to shut down contract talks for the entire year.
And I get the sense that many in Cowboys Nation aren't exactly too happy about it.