The clock is ticking on George Pickens’ future in Dallas, yet the Dallas Cowboys front office has shown little urgency to lock him in long-term. While ownership under Jerry Jones has publicly expressed interest in keeping the breakout receiver, that intent hasn’t translated into meaningful action. And now, yet again, Dak Prescott is stepping forward to make sure it does.

“I think it’s vital. I think it must be done,” Prescott said, as shared by Cowboys reporter Tommy Yarrish. “I think obviously from Jerry to everybody down understands that, and one the impact on this offense and the team and the great player that he is, we’ve got to find a way to keep him here.”

Fresh off his first season in Dallas, George Pickens couldn’t have made a stronger case for a long-term future. But beyond that, there’s also deeper history behind  why the silence is raising eyebrows across Dallas.

Fresh off his first season in Dallas, Pickens did everything a franchise receiver could to earn long-term security and then some. Acquired from Pittsburgh ahead of the 2025 campaign, Pickens turned what many viewed as a prove-it year into a full-blown breakout, posting career highs across the board with 93 receptions, 1,429 yards, and nine touchdowns. The production didn’t just lead the Cowboys’ receiving room but also placed him among the league’s elite, earning both a Pro Bowl selection and Second-Team All-Pro honors in his first season wearing the star.

Yet despite that immediate impact and with free agency now staring directly at Dallas, momentum on a new deal has been noticeably absent. Reports indicate the Dallas Cowboys have yet to open formal contract discussions with Pickens’ agent, leaving their biggest pending free agent without a long-term safety net. While that silence doesn’t automatically signal trouble this early in the offseason, it has sparked concern given the organization’s recent history of slow-burn negotiations with star players, most notably the failed effort to lock up Micah Parsons before he was ultimately traded away.

That backdrop is why the current lull feels heavier than a typical offseason pause. The franchise tag has already surfaced as a potential fallback optio, a one-year solution that would keep Pickens in Dallas for 2026 but fall well short of the long-term commitment his market value now commands. And although temporary control may appeal to the front office, it risks reopening the same cycle of tension the Cowboys have repeatedly found themselves navigating with their top talent.

Recently, team COO and co-owner Stephen Jones acknowledged the organization’s desire to keep Pickens in Dallas long term, a sentiment the receiver himself has echoed. Pickens confirmed that no contract talks have taken place yet, but made it clear where his preference lies.

“I would love to,” Pickens said when asked about staying in Dallas for the foreseeable future. “But when you can’t control it, you kind of just hope for the best.”

For a player who left Pittsburgh amid frustration, that openness about wanting stability with the Cowboys spoke volumes. The fit has worked. The production has followed. The mutual interest is there. But with action still missing, the situation is drifting toward another high-stakes negotiation, and that’s precisely why the team’s franchise quarterback is no longer content to stay on the sidelines.

Coming off a bounce-back 2025 season in which Prescott threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns while starting all 17 games, the quarterback knows exactly how much the offense transformed once Pickens became a weekly matchup nightmare. And so, he has also made it clear that if his involvement can help push things forward, he won’t hesitate.

“He’s an important piece of this offense, and an important piece of what we’re trying to do,” Prescott said. “So leave it to those guys, but obviously, if I need to get involved, I have said it before, I will. But I’m confident in Jerry and everybody who makes those decisions to know how much he means to us.”

And while Prescott hasn’t yet had a formal sit-down with Jerry Jones about Pickens’ extension, the message is already loud: this isn’t going to be a luxury signing, but a necessity for an offense that finally found balance and explosiveness again.

But urgency alone doesn’t make contracts appear, and with Dallas already facing a tight salary-cap picture, the real question is how far they’re willing to go to make it happen before another star situation slips into dangerous territory. With that, the conversation now shifts to the other side of the negotiation, where Pickens stands as his breakout season collides with the realities of NFL free agency.

George Pickens is Balancing Loyalty With a Market-Setting Payday

For all the noise surrounding his contract, George Pickens has remained remarkably calm about what comes next, even as he heads toward one of the biggest paydays of the 2026 offseason. He recently acknowledged that while he hasn’t heard directly from the organization yet, he understands how negotiations typically unfold behind the scenes.

“No, not me personally,” Pickens said when asked whether the team had reached out. “Definitely, probably my agent. He doesn’t tell me who he calls all the time, so definitely just kind of wait it out and hope for the best.”

That hands-off approach hasn’t changed his preference, though. Pickens has made it clear he’d love to continue building what he started in Dallas, but only if the outcome makes sense for everyone involved.

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“Just the ultimate best deal when it helps everybody,” he explained. “If it’s the best thing for both parties, then I’m willing to do anything. But like I said, I can’t control it, so I just kind of chill.”

Behind that relaxed tone sits a rapidly rising market. He’s established himself among the most valuable receivers, and that production is already being translated into market projections that place Pickens in the neighborhood of a four-year contract worth roughly $122 million, an average north of $30 million per season. It would immediately slot him among the highest-paid receivers in football.

And that’s where the pressure intensifies. Dallas is already carrying massive financial commitments, including the league’s top-paid quarterback in Dak Prescott, one of the highest-paid receivers in Lamb, and a premium deal along the offensive line. With ownership under Jerry Jones still feeling the sting of last year’s failed Micah Parsons negotiations, Pickens’ contract now represents another defining moment for the front office’s long-term planning.

Pickens has done everything possible to make the decision easy on the football side. Now, it comes down to whether Dallas is willing and able to structure a future that keeps its newly formed offensive core intact.

Because if the Cowboys hesitate again, this time the cost may not just be dollars; it could be the most explosive weapon their offense has finally found.