Cowboys Place Franchise Tag on WR George Pickens

George Pickens Gets $27M Franchise Tag from Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys place non-exclusive franchise tag on star WR George Pickens, guaranteeing $27.298 million for 2026 season.

George Pickens to earn $27M with franchise tag, can explore other offers...

The Dallas Cowboys have officially placed the franchise tag on their star wide receiver George Pickens, ensuring he'll be back with the team for the 2026 season. This move comes after Pickens had a breakout year, setting career-highs in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429), and touchdowns (9), earning him Second-Team All-Pro honors.

Pickens, 24, is now set to earn around $28 million for the 2026 season, with the Cowboys having until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. If they can't agree on an extension, Pickens will play for the franchise tag amount and become a free agent again in 2027. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones expressed excitement about Pickens' future with the team, saying he was “fired up' about staying in Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on George Pickens, guaranteeing him $27.298 million for the 2026 season. This means Pickens can still negotiate with other teams, and if another team makes an offer, the Cowboys have five days to match it.

If the Cowboys choose not to match the offer, they'll receive draft-choice compensation equivalent to two first-round picks. This move gives the Cowboys flexibility while working on a long-term deal with Pickens, who had a breakout season with 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2025.

Cowboys officially place franchise tag on George Pickens. pic.twitter.com/R5fjb93KtJ

— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2026

The Dallas Cowboys have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on George Pickens, guaranteeing him $27.298 million for the 2026 season. This means Pickens can still negotiate with other teams, and if another team makes an offer, the Cowboys have five days to match it.

If the Cowboys choose not to match the offer, they'll receive draft-choice compensation equivalent to two first-round picks. This move gives the Cowboys flexibility while working on a long-term deal with Pickens, who had a breakout season with 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 20025.

The Dallas Cowboys are currently $66 million over the NFL salary cap, but they're getting some relief with the 2026 salary cap set at $301.2 million, a $22 million increase from last year. This bump should give them some breathing room, but they'll still need to make some adjustments.

To get under the cap, the Cowboys will likely need to restructure some big contracts, including quarterback Dak Prescott and star receiver CeeDee Lamb. According to Cowboys reporter Todd Archer, these moves could help free up some much-needed cap space.

We have placed the franchise tag on George Pickens

📰: https://t.co/l2plrMBVUe | @blockchain pic.twitter.com/bxXdIFpoqP

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) February 27, 2026

Some potential restructuring options include:

• Dak Prescott: A restructure could create around $31 million in cap space

• CeeDee Lamb: Restructuring could save around $19 million

• Tyler Smith: Potential savings of $17.6 million

The Cowboys will need to get creative with their roster management to ensure they're compliant with the salary cap

The Dallas Cowboys had a rough season, finishing 7-9-1 and missing the playoffs. Despite this, they have a solid draft pick, with the 12th overall selection in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft, which kicks off on April 23rd.

The Cowboys are looking to rebuild and strengthen their team, and the draft is a crucial part of that process. With their pick, they could target a talented player to fill a key position or address a weakness in their roster.