Notorious Analyst Says George Pickens, Cowboys Headed For 'Turmoil' After JSN Contract

George Pickens had a breakout season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2025. After being traded to Dallas by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickens racked up 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.

Pickens was set for free agency following his performance, and the Cowboys used the franchise tag to keep him under contract for one more year. There's no guarantee that Pickens will be satisfied with that one-year deal, however, especially after Jaxon Smith-Njigba reset the market with a contract extension averaging just over $42 million per season.

That new deal has Skip Bayless predicting Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams is about to secure a deal for $44 million per season. He then said that will become an ongoing problem for the Cowboys, stating that Pickens is going to want to get paid a similar deal.

"So he's going to hear that Puka gets 44, and he's going to sit back and say, God. I'm Mr. Highlight. I lead the league in highlights. I lead the league in spectacular catches. I'm coming off my career year, and I'm stuck at 27.3. And again, Aqib and I have argued. He says, oh, he'll just... bite his lip and be happy with it for one year and then can go back to the table for his. But I just don't. He's never demonstrated to me, happiness" Bayless said.

"It's why Mike Tomlin said more trouble than worth and got rid of him and gave him away for a third-round pick. So these two big bombshell contracts of wideouts are going to put me in a bigger and bigger bind in Dallas. This is going to be a big ongoing problem for the Dallas Cowboys. I don't love anything about it because he's going to want his money and want it now. Just because you're tagged doesn't mean you can't continue to negotiate through camp. So they are going to start making waves, and he's not going to be a happy camper come July, August."

.@RealSkipBayless thinks JSN's recent deal will cause turmoil between George Pickens and the Cowboys 😳

"This is going to be a big, ongoing problem for the Cowboys because Pickens is going to want his money and want it now". pic.twitter.com/lnQ7agYjb6
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) March 23, 2026

Dallas is already paying CeeDee Lamb $34 million per season, making it unlikely they will reset the market again for Pickens. That means things could get ugly if he decides to push for more money.

Under the rules of the franchise tag Pickens and the Cowboys have until July 15 to work out a new deal.

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