The Dallas Cowboys will make wide receiver George Pickens play the 2026 season under the franchise tag, chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Wednesday.
“We’ve made a decision,” Jones told reporters in a pre-draft press conference. “… There won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal.”
The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Pickens Feb. 27, the first time they had done so since 2022 with tight end Dalton Schultz.
Pickens, 25, would earn a guaranteed $27.3 million in 2026 under the tag, which he has not yet signed.
Jones said last week he had not received any trade inquiries about Pickens, who caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards with nine touchdowns in 17 games (15 starts) in his first season with the Cowboys in 2025.
The Steelers selected Pickens in the second round of the 2022 draft and he played his first three seasons in Pittsburgh. Pickens has produced 267 receptions, 4,270 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in 65 games (55 starts).
