George Pickens' Demands of Cowboys Revealed Ahead of Free Agency

Dallas Cowboys officials now have a firm number to work with as they weigh the future of wide receiver George Pickens: at least $30 million per season. According to a report Saturday from Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, Pickens and his representatives have set that figure as the floor for negotiations on a long-term extension.

The 2025 campaign cemented Pickens’ place atop the Cowboys’ second-ranked offense, and his camp argues the price tag is in step with the marketplace. Sportskeeda Pro Football summarized the Watkins report by noting that the projected 2026 wide-receiver franchise tag sits around $28 million, making the $30 million ask “not out of line.”

Spotrac’s valuation model agrees, forecasting a four-year pact worth roughly $122.4 million—an average of $30.6 million annually. If Dallas agreed to those terms, Pickens would slot just behind the league’s top-paid receivers, joining Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown (just above $30 million per year) and San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk (exactly $30 million).

Pickens, a former second-round pick out of Georgia, has completed his rookie contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year opens March 11. The Cowboys must decide by then whether to meet his asking price, apply the franchise tag for a one-year solution, or explore a trade.

One speculative avenue surfaced earlier this week when ESPN’s Dan Graziano floated a deal that would send Pickens and a 2026 first-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and a second-round selection. Graziano framed the swap as a way for Dallas to avoid both a record-setting receiver contract and the potential locker-room friction that can accompany a franchise tag, referencing last year’s situation with edge-rusher Micah Parsons.

Crosby, who is owed about $30 million over each of the next two seasons, would theoretically replace Parsons in the Cowboys’ pass rush, freeing the front office to search for a new No. 2 wide receiver through cheaper means.

With the March 11 deadline looming, Dallas faces a clear fork in the road: pay Pickens like a top-tier wideout, risk the tag, or orchestrate a blockbuster move that reshapes both sides of the ball.