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PHOENIX – The Dallas Cowboys kept their word about not letting wide receiver George Pickens become a free agent. The Cowboys franchise tagged Pickens earlier this offseason before he became the No. 1 wide receiver on the open market. The team hopes the one-year pact is just a placeholder.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he’s talked to Pickens since the team placed him under the franchise tag and he hopes the talented wideout will be in Dallas for multiple years to come.
“I had a conversation with George. He’s doing great,” Schottenheimer said March 30 at the NFL's owners meetings. “We love GP. We have plans for GP to be here for a long time. We’ll let the business side of this thing play out and see where it goes.”
The business side has until July 15 – the deadline for teams to sign a player under the franchise tag to a contract extension.
The good news for Schottenheimer is Pickens has worked out with Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and he's been hanging out a lot with fellow reciever CeeDee Lamb this offseason. The not so good news is Schottenheimer hasn’t gotten any assurances that Pickens will be in attendance for the Cowboys’ offseason program while under the franchise tag.
“I haven’t pushed that on him,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s almost April. We are still a couple weeks away. It’s gonna play out the way it plays out. Again, it’s all voluntary. We’ll see where it goes.”
Pickens is coming off career year. He produced single-season bests in catches (93), receiving yards (1,429) and touchdown receptions (9) to earn a second-team All-Pro nod for the first time in his career.
The one-year franchise tag for wide receivers is worth $27.2 million. The highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL make upwards of $30 million a year. Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba just became the richest wideout in the NFL when he inked an extension that nets him over $42 million on an annual basis.
Pickens likely won’t earn the money Smith-Njigba is getting, but he’s yearning to be compensated like one of the best receivers in the league.
What complicates matters, though, is the Cowboys are already paying Lamb $34 million a year, the fourth most in the league for a wideout on an annual basis. Plus, Pickens is represented by David Mulugheta, the same agent Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refused to negotiate with during the messy Micah Parsons ordeal.
Parsons was subsequently traded to the Green Bay Packers. Schottenheimer and the Cowboys are optimistic talks with Pickens (and his representation) will go in a more positive direction that will lead to an extension.
"The fact that he's working and throwing with Dak and some of the other guys," Schottenheimer said. "That to me is more important than anything."
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Pickens Cowboys contract: Dallas coach wants WR 'for multiple years'
