Overview
- The wide receiver market jumped Monday when Seattle gave Jaxon Smith-Njigba a four-year deal averaging $42.15 million, sharpening the stakes for Dallas and tagged receiver George Pickens.
- Pickens has not signed the non-exclusive franchise tender at $27.298 million, and there have been no substantive talks on a long-term extension.
- Multiple analysts, including Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, expect Pickens to likely play 2026 on the tag, with a training-camp holdout still possible if no deal is reached.
- The franchise tag in this case fixes Pickens’ 2026 pay for one year and lets him seek offer sheets that Dallas can match or convert into draft-pick compensation.
- Coverage now ranges from a likely tagged season and holdout risk to draft insurance at No. 12 with Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and even trade ideas, with some noting agent David Mulugheta’s tense history with Jerry Jones.