George Pickens' future is a hot topic, and the Cowboys have two things going in their favor when it comes to contract talks.
It is going to be another Dallas Cowboys offseason that sees contracts dominate the headlines.
One is for All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey. The other is Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro George Pickens.
Since joining the Cowboys, aside from the occasional misstep, Pickens has been exactly what Dallas wanted.
An absolute demon on the field.
Pickens would end his first year as a Cowboy going for 1,429 yards and nine TDs from 93 receptions to be "the" dominant weapon on an offense that also has CeeDee Lamb.
And as our own Mike Fisher explains, CeeDee might have a role to play in George's contract.
“The CeeDee Lamb relationship with George Pickins is a factor,” Fish said. “Their friendship is going to help keep him happy and hopefully get him signed."
But that isn't all.
Yes, money will be a factor, and a source has told us that the franchise tag, which is roughly $28 million APY for 2026, will be the avenue Dallas takes (at least to begin) because it is the "easiest" path.
And when it comes to negotiating with George, Fish detailed another key element that might give the Cowboys a huge advantage.
"They've told him this, and I think he's nodded his head to it: 'You know why you didn't accomplish the things in Pittsburgh that you accomplished here? It's Dak, you've never had a Dak," Fish added.
"You've never even had anything close to him. What you did last year, you could do that every year. You'll never have to be like you were in Pittsburgh anymore because we're your friends. We're going to pay you, and we got a Dak.”
We're not saying Prescott is going to sit in on negotiating meetings, of course.
We are saying that Dak's presence will be felt, though ... because the Cowboys will push Pickens to value the relationships he now has here.
We haven't seen Dak play as well as he has this year, earning his fourth Pro Bowl nod.
With a second offseason under Brian Schottenheimer for both Prescott and Pickens, what could they become in Year 2? That is a tantalizing thought. Not to mention that Dallas also has a player named Lamb running around. He's pretty good, too.
Re-signing Pickens is a no-brainer. Whether it is long-term or the franchise tag.
And Fish has laid out the two key things that should keep Pickens a Cowboy.