There were originally good vibes coming from the Cowboys as it pertained to signing George Pickens, but the temperature of those vibes appears to have changed.
The Dallas Cowboys' desire to retain pending free agent George Pickens has been clear for the past couple of months.
After George's stellar 2025 season that saw him earn his first Pro Bowl nod after 1,429 yards and 9 TDs, the desire to have Pickens return only amplified.
Given what he did for the offense and vice versa, having No. 3 a Cowboy in 2026 would give Brian Schottenheimer one of the best offensive units in football.
We've heard from Schottenheimer, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones of their desire to have Pickens remain with the team, but as we know, it isn't as straightforward as that.
Money talks. Especially when David Mulugheta is the agent Dallas will be dealing with.
Given that there is now some concern about this contract saga, that it will follow a similar path to Micah Parsons', fans are bracing for another uncomfortable offseason.
And then there's this.
Schottenheimer was asked about his thoughts on Pickens signing with the Cowboys this offseason. And it feels a little ominous.
"I hope,” Schottenheimer said. “Again, I've been around George from the time he got here from the time he came in and I say this respectfully, I kicked his [expletive] in shooting free throws in my office. He might not remember it that way. I knew this guy's a competitor and he loves football. So, I hope so.”
Hmm. There's "hope" that a deal will get done.
That doesn't sound too positive. Then again, we could be reading too much into it. ... though we bet Cowboys fans see this as a bit of an alarm bell.
But there is no denying the impact Pickens has made on this Cowboys team, and what things could look like if he were elsewhere or holding out this offseason.
No one wants to see that, and especially Pickens.
CeeDee Lamb detailed how it was the "worst" when he held out for his new contract, and Lamb is likely in Pickens' ear as he is about to go through the same thing.
With July 15 the deadline for the tag, the Cowboys and Pickens have time to thrash out a deal.
But it appears, like with every star contract in the past couple of seasons, this won't be a quick and painless negotiation.
Because, of course, right?