NFL Insider Stokes Flames For Cowboys-George Pickens Offseason Drama

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler isn't convinced that we've seen the last of the offseason drama between the Dallas Cowboys and wide receiver George Pickens.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and George Pickens, an NFL insider thinks there's still a possibility for drama moving forward.

Pickens signed his franchise tag on Wednesday, which we knew was going to happen because reports suggested as much going into the 2026 NFL Draft.

That would seem to indicate things will move forward smoothly, as Pickens likely wouldn't have signed the tag this early if that wasn't going to happen.

Maybe there will be extension talks, but the Cowboys have made it clear they intend on having Pickens play out 2026 on the tag, so that doesn't feel likely.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler admits he isn't sure we've seen the last of the Pickens-Cowboys drama and thinks the situation "feels far from over."

Fowler also wonders if the threat of the Cowboys drafting Jordyn Tyson, for which there was a ton of smoke for going into the draft, factored into Pickens agreeing to sign the tag early.

"The team was high on Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson. Did the threat of taking a receiver high play a role in George Pickens agreeing to sign his franchise tag hours before the draft?" Fowler wondered. "Hard to know for certain, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities. This feels far from over."

Where do we go from here?

Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With Pickens signing the tag this early, that points to a scenario in which he goes through the offseason without drama and plays on the franchise tag in 2026, despite there being so many signs the Cowboys might trade him.

Those signs included Dallas announcing it wouldn't extend him before the draft, and then Pickens signing the tag, which was needed for a trade to go down.

Pickens can best be described as mercurial, and the same can be said for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys as a whole, so that always leaves open the possibility that something wild goes down and Pickens creates drama and Dallas ultimately deals him.

If that's the route the Cowboys decide to take, they've got to take it soon. Sure, Dallas doesn't need Pickens and he is more of a luxury, but they'd still have to replace him with a legitimate No. 2 receiver.

Without Pickens, the Cowboys would be depending on Ryan Flournoy and a group of question marks to pick up the slack behind CeeDee Lamb. Safe to say, that would be a risky proposition.

Dealing Pickens as early as possible leaves more options on the table in free agency that Dallas could turn to in order to replace Pickens. The longer the Cowboys wait to do that, the less free agency options they'll have, and depending on a trade isn't a reliable approach.

On the higher end of the options in free agency are Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, but those guys may not be available for much longer with the second wave of free agency starting. Tyreek Hill is out there, also, but who knows what he'll offer off a major knee injury, and we don't know when or if he'll even play this season.

Ultimately, we think Pickens is here to stay for 2026.

But would we close the door on there being drama between now and Week 1? Certainly not.