George Pickens may be playing on a $27 million franchise tag, but former NFL star Cris Carter doesn’t believe Jerry Jones is rushing toward a long-term commitment. In Carter’s view, the Cowboys’ salary structure doesn’t allow another massive receiver contract alongside two other heavy contracts.

“Well, there’s a guy that goes by the initials ‘CD’ and he wears number 88. They have determined that he is the number one guy. It’s impossible to have your quarterback who’s the highest paid,” Carter said in his recent appearance on the Fully Loaded Podcast with Shawn Meaike. “The receiver who’s the fifth highest paid. That’s $95 million right there.

“And if you give him another, he’s going to want more than CeeDee, so, he’s gonna want $35 million to $40 million. So, how are you doing that? $130 – $ 135 million at those three guys? No. Jerry’s into making money. He’s not going to do it.”

The financial dilemma stems from Pickens’ current situation. After the Cowboys traded a third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire the receiver in 2025, Pickens exploded in Dallas. He has shown great chemistry with CeeDee Lamb, but as far as not paying Pickens more money is concerned, Stephen Jones has already given a couple of reasons.

The Cowboys executive, during the annual pre-draft presser in April 2026, pointed out that it’s not an easy feat to have two wide receivers at the top of the market. And it’s especially harder when there are other great players on the roster like Dak Prescott.

The other thing was newness. These reasons pushed Jones to confirm that there won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal for Pickens. And because Pickens is playing under the fully guaranteed one-year franchise tag, he is technically still auditioning for that massive payday. According to Carter, Pickens is essentially trapped in a waiting game.

Nevertheless, Pickens has worked his way to exceed expectations during his rookie season in Pittsburgh. That made Stephen Jones believe that Pickens would be a good fit. After all, in his debut season at Dallas, Pickens recorded 93 receptions for 1,429 receiving yards and scored nine touchdowns. And these are all career-high numbers for Pickens. These numbers also got him his career’s first Pro Bowl nod and an AP Second-Team All-Pro honor.

Whether Pickens ultimately receives his massive payday in Dallas or hits the open market next offseason remains to be seen. If he manages to replicate the 2025 numbers this season as well, Jerry Jones might consider extending his contract for a long-term tenure with the team. But then again, that’s going to put some unwanted stress on the franchise’s shrinking salary cap.