George Pickens' Non-Answer on Mandatory Minicamp Status is Ominous Sign for Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens had a chance to confirm he'll be at minicamp next week but failed to do so.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

While the expectation is that George Pickens will attend the Dallas Cowboys' mandatory minicamp that begins on June 16, we still don't have a concrete commitment from the star wideout.

One reason Pickens is expected to attend has to do with the fact that head coach Brian Schottenheimer has repeatedly said he anticipates Pickens showing up.

"I expect and hope he'll be here," Schottenheimer said of Pickenswhile also noting the wide receiver, "has not committed that to me, but I expect he'll be here."

Another reason is Pickens has signed his franchise tag and will face fines if he doesn't show up. If he planned on holding out, it would have made no sense to take that step because he would not face fines if he didn't sign the tag and decided to hold out.

George Pickens fails to commit to minicamp

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram spoke with Pickens at a youth football camp in Corpus Christi and asked the veteran wide receiver if he would be in attendance at minicamp.

Pickens responded with a shrug and an “uhhhh” before he was cut off by one of his reps, who went on to end Pickens' Q&A with the media after that.

Why Pickens and his reps refuse to answer that question remains to be seen, but that's no doubt at least an ominous sign.

How sure are the Cowboys about Pickens?

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Schottenheimer has said "I expect and hope" that Pickens will be at minicamp and the hope part would seem to indicate he is not sure, but Schotty added "hope and expect is the same thing. "

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News shared his two cents on the matter and said he believes the Cowboys are not sure of Pickens' status for minicamp.

"I believe the Cowboys still don't know if George Pickens will show up for mandatory minicamp next week," Watkins said.

After seeing what Pickens said to Harris, we would lean more toward Watkins' belief rather than the idea that Dallas is sure Pickens will be in the building on June 16.

How much a holdout will cost Pickens

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens and Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Strictly speaking about mandatory minicamp, Pickens not going for all three days will cost him six figures.

According to Spotrac, Pickens will lose out on $17,986 on Day 1, $35,973 on Day 2 and $53,952 on Day 3, which totals out to $107,911.

At this point, if Pickens holds out and gets fined when he could have avoided that situation entirely by not signing the franchise tag, we'd have to question the advice he's getting from his reps.

It was odd that Pickens signed the tag as early as he did, and it would be even more bizarre if he signed it and still held out.