George Pickens just watched another wide receiver reset the market, and the timing could not be better for his bank account.
On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Baltimore Ravens and Zay Flowers had agreed to a four-year, $140 million deal with $108 million guaranteed. That puts Flowers at $35 million per year, with the annual average and total value tied for fourth among wideouts and the guaranteed money tied for second at the position.
It also comes on the heels of another major receiver payday. New Orleans Saints wideout Chris Olave previously landed a four-year deal worth up to $132 million.
Neither Flowers nor Olave has the kind of 1,400-yard season Pickens posted in 2025, which is why his next deal could land in the same neighborhood - or climb even higher. Pickens has already made it clear he sees where the market is headed.
“Definitely something that the other guys are getting, you know what I mean, cause that’s all I can really look forward to. I can’t really ask for nothing too crazy, but just what I see. So definitely somewhere where the other guys are getting," Pickens said.
If he follows up his 2025 production with another season anywhere close to that level, Pickens could be looking at a contract north of $40 million annually next year. But the money isn’t the only thing Dallas will be weighing.
The Cowboys also need Pickens to stay clean from a behavior standpoint and show he’s moved past the issues that followed him in Pittsburgh. He got through last season without any major problems, and he has looked locked in early in training camp.
Still, the bigger the price tag gets, the tougher this gets for Dallas. The Cowboys already have CeeDee Lamb on a major wide receiver contract, and they can’t exactly hand out another blank check.
Dallas could use the franchise tag on Pickens again in 2027, but that route gets a lot messier if he turns in another big season. At that point, he’d have little reason to be as willing as he was this offseason, and a holdout could enter the picture.
If that happens, the Cowboys would be staring at a familiar kind of dilemma: pay Pickens, wait out the standoff and hope he comes around, or move him before it gets worse.
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Head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed the incident and removed Ezeiruaku from the field after the confrontation. For a player trying to carve out a role on a veteran-laced roster, the focus now shifts from what he can bring off the edge to how quickly he can reset after crossing a line the Cowboys clearly do not want crossed at camp. [Read more 🡒]