George Pickens didn’t get a contract extension Tuesday, but he may have gotten something almost as valuable: a very loud hint about where the Cowboys see this going.
Jerry Jones made that point on 105.3 The Fan, and he didn’t exactly bury the lede. When asked about Pickens, Jones said, "I'm excited (about) what he has to do with us this year and in coming years, and I emphasize that, in coming years," Jones said.
That one line was enough to change the temperature around Pickens’ future. Jones stopped short of promising a new deal, but his wording strongly suggests Dallas wants Pickens around well past 2026 and into at least 2027. If the Cowboys have to, the franchise tag would still be there as a backup plan.
For a team staring at a 2026 free agency class that includes Pickens, DeMarvon Overshown, Cobie Durant, T.J. Bass, Ryan Flournoy, and Brevyn Spann-Ford, the message matters. Cowboys fans can spend less time imagining a future without Pickens in the star and more time watching what he does now.
The money side is where things get complicated. CeeDee Lamb is already on a deal worth $34 million per year, which ranks sixth among wide receivers, and his $67 million in fully guaranteed money trails only Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If Pickens follows up with another huge season, he could put himself in position to land a deal even bigger than Lamb’s in annual value, even if the guarantees don’t match.
That doesn’t mean Dallas can’t make it work. The Cowboys already have a loaded list of expensive commitments:
Dak Prescott at $60 million, Quinnen Williams at $35.3 million, CeeDee Lamb at $34 million, Tyler Smith at $24 million, DaRon Bland at $22.5 million, Jake Ferguson at $12.5 million, and Brandon Aubrey at $7 million.
None of those players are going anywhere. Dallas had an easier escape route with Bland and Ferguson in 2027, but last week’s restructures wiped that away.
So if the Cowboys keep both Lamb and Pickens on premium money, the squeeze will come elsewhere. The middle and lower end of the roster would be where the front office feels it most.
Still, the team seems willing to live with that tradeoff if it means keeping a receiver like Pickens in place. And there’s reason to think his value could keep climbing.
Six months from now, there’s a real chance Pickens is seen as a top-five receiver, maybe even better than Lamb. That isn’t a shot at Lamb, who remains an outstanding top-10 wideout.
It’s just a reflection of how Pickens played in his first year with the Cowboys.
Dallas also plans to move Pickens around more, which should expand his role even further. His chemistry with Prescott should continue to build, and this will be the first time in Pickens’ career that he enters Week 1 with the same starting quarterback as the previous season.
Put all of that together, and another All-Pro season is very much in play.
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Raffertys case is built on durability and versatility, the traits that keep an offensive line intact over time even when they rarely earn the loudest recognition. He played in 203 regular-season games and 18 postseason games, and while he never picked up Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors with Dallas, his value showed up in the kind of success the Cowboys were chasing all along, including a Super Bowl title. [Read more 🡒]