George Pickens earns first-time NFL honor after career year with Cowboys

When the Dallas Cowboys swung a trade for star wide receiver George Pickens following the 2025 NFL Draft, there were a lot of NFL pundits and analysts who were waiting for the situation to implode.

Pickens came to Dallas with "character concerns" and the narrative that he was a locker room distraction with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but early in his Cowboys career, that never became an issue, and he was praised for immediate chemistry and bonds with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

The end result for Pickens' first season in Dallas was a career year and a special honor for the first time. On Tuesday, it was announced that Pickens was among the NFC wide receivers to earn a Pro Bowl nod, and he will be a participant in the 2026 Pro Bowl Games.

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The 2026 Pro Bowl Games will be held on Tuesday, February 3, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

2026 #ProBowlGames Wide Receivers!

Full #ProBowlGames roster reveal coming at 10 a.m. ET 👀 pic.twitter.com/doLrIUWInW
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2025

This season, Pickens ranks eighth in the league with 88 receptions, third with 1,342 receiving yards, and seventh with 9 receiving touchdowns. Pickens helped keep the Cowboys' offense afloat when fellow superstar pass catcher CeeDee Lamb went down with an injury early in the year.

Pickens entered the season in a contract year, so will now be poised to land a major payday in the offseason.

The question for Dallas will be whether to sign Pickens to a long-term contract, use the franchise tag, or watch one of their best offensive weapons walk in free agency. Everyone will be hoping that Pickens returns, but it will come at a cost.

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George Pickens' projected contract, salary

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

There have been reports that the Cowboys are willing to use the franchise tag if they are unable to agree to a deal before the start of free agency. The franchise tag would allow the Cowboys to continue negotiating throughout the offseason.

According to Over the Cap, the projected franchise tag figure for a wide receiver in 2026 is $28.046 million. For Pickens' new deal, meanwhile, Spotrac projects Pickens could land a five-year, $153.7 million contract on the open market, which averages $30.8 million per year. That would make Pickens the sixth-highest-paid receiver in the league, per Over the Cap.

The figures are close enough that if the Cowboys are serious about retaining Pickens for the future, they will be able to do so. Dak Prescott has already campaigned for Pickens' return, along with Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones, who have both said they would love to bring the star wideout back.

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