How George Pickens Reacted to Getting Franchise Tag From Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have officially placed the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have made things official with wide receiver George Pickens for the 2026 season.

The Cowboys announced Friday that the team has placed the franchise tag on Pickens for next season, keeping him in Dallas for at least one more year before likely beginning contract negotiations next offseason.

It had been the expectation in weeks prior that the franchise tag would be used on Pickens, who will now earn around $28 million next season on the tag, per Spotrac.

While meeting with the media at the NFL Combine on Friday, Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones told NFL Network's Rich Eisen that Pickens expressed excitement to be staying in Dallas during a phone call with Jerry Jones.

George Pickens on "Cloud 9" After Receiving Cowboys Franchise Tag

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens warms up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

“He was fired up that he wasn’t going to be going anywhere,” Stephen Jones told Eisen, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He was very fired up about his future with us. We felt like he wanted to be in Dallas. He certainly said that to Jerry. Jerry just said he was on cloud nine that he was gonna be a Cowboy again.”

Pickens put together a career-best year with Dallas this past season but questions persisted about what the team would do in order to keep him with the Cowboys for the long haul after arriving in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers with just one year left on his rookie contract.

But now, Cowboys fans can enjoy Pickens' explosive play-making ability next season before the team hopefully engages in new contract talks.

During his first season in Dallas, Pickens established an impressive connection with quarterback Dak Prescott and earned his first-career Pro Bowl nod. He finished with career-best marks in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429) and receiving touchdowns (nine), as his yardage through the air marked the third-most among wideouts during the regular season.

George Pickens on "Cloud 9" After Receiving Cowboys Franchise Tag

— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —