Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday he is looking beyond this season with wide receiver George Pickens, emphasizing a longer-term role even as the Pro Bowl pass catcher enters 2026 on the franchise tag.
Jones made the remarks during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan, where he discussed Pickens’ training camp and the team’s upcoming opener.
“I’m excited what he has to do with us this year and in coming years, and I emphasize that, in coming years,” Jones said.
The comments come five days before Dallas opens the season Sunday night at the New York Giants. Pickens is locked into a one-year, $27.3 million fully guaranteed contract after the July 15 deadline for tagged players to sign multiyear extensions passed without an agreement.
Jones also praised Pickens’ work this summer.
“George has had a top, top camp and has just been everything we could have asked him to be for where we are as we go into this first game week,” Jones said.
Pickens, 25, produced career highs in 2025, his first season in Dallas after a May trade from Pittsburgh. He caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro selection.
The Cowboys sent a 2026 third-round pick and swapped 2027 late-round selections to acquire him. That investment paid off immediately as Pickens formed a potent tandem with CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb, signed through 2028 on a four-year, $136 million extension, posted 75 receptions for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns last season while missing time with injuries.
Jones acknowledged the financial challenge of retaining two high-end receivers.
“The better he plays, the better it is for him,” Jones added of Pickens.
A second consecutive strong season would raise Pickens’ market value heading into 2027 unrestricted free agency. Dallas could apply the franchise tag again next spring, which would pay him approximately $32.8 million, a 20 percent increase.
The Cowboys have used consecutive tags before, including on quarterback Dak Prescott. They have not signed a player to a long-term deal immediately after a first tag since Dez Bryant in 2015.
Stephen Jones, the team’s executive vice president, had said in April that Dallas would not negotiate an extension this offseason and had “zero intention” of trading Pickens. The younger Jones later noted that another big year from both Pickens and Lamb would create a “bigger challenge” in 2027.
Pickens signed the tender in late April, skipped voluntary organized team activities, then reported for mandatory minicamp in June and said he would not hold out of training camp. He described the situation as “football first.”
Dallas finished 7-9-1 in 2025, missing the playoffs for a second straight year. The offense ranked among the league’s most productive passing units, while the defense ranked last in points allowed.
Jones framed the present as the priority even while pointing ahead. He said opening weekend is about the game and the season at hand, and that Pickens is “in an outstanding spot.”
The Cowboys will try to start 2026 with a statement on Sunday Night Football. Whether Jones’ emphasis on “coming years” becomes a multiyear contract will wait until after the regular season ends.
