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Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens
The Dallas Cowboys are at a critical point in their offseason with star wide receiver George Pickens.
The 24-year-old wideout is due to cash in on a lucrative new long-term contract. But the Cowboys slapped Pickens with the franchise tag last week, meaning he’ll play next season on a fully guaranteed one-year, $27.29 million deal.
Given that Pickens is seeking a multi-year contract, there’s a possibility he could hold out throughout training camp and into the regular season as others who’ve been franchise-tagged have done.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky cautioned Dallas that letting that happen could blow up in its face.
Cowboys Warned Not to Play With Fire With Pickens
Getty(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
During Monday morning’s episode of “Get Up,” Orlovsky boldly stated that if the Cowboys let Pickens stay inactive the entire summer, they’re only setting him and themselves up for failure.
“That’s a problem for Dallas,” Orlovsky stated. “That totally changes everything because, if he’s going to miss this whole offseason and then training camp, we know what that looks like. We know the players more than likely going to get injured on some soft-tissue (injury), he’s more than likely not going to produce the same way, and so this if you’re Dallas, you can’t throw away this year. This is a really important year.”
Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum also chimed in that he doesn’t see any way the two sides work out a deal before the start or the regular season.
“This deal is impossible to get done, and I’m telling you we’re going to be talking about it on September 2, 3 and 4,” Tannenbaum said. “I think what happens is like most franchise players, he’ll show up disgruntled the Tuesday before opening day so he doesn’t miss a paycheck, but I just don’t see a long-term deal getting done because they’re not going to pay him as a front-line No. 1 receiver, which is what he’s going to want.”
Not the Only Warning the Cowboys Have Received
Franchise-tagging Pickens has more than one downfall.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport pointed out last week that Pickens’ agent David Mulugheta, who is also the agent for Micah Parsons who was cut out of negotiations with the Cowboys last year, could advise Pickens not to show up for any offseason programs.
Rapoport also warned the Cowboys that they may have made things more complicated for themselves by tagging Pickens instead of offering an extension.
“David Mulugheta does not like the tag,” Rapoport told radio station 105.3 The Fan at the NFL combine. “He is not a fan. He’s had guys who have been on the tag. He does not like it. So, I don’t know what George Pickens is going to do. I just know, historically, you may not see him for a bit.
“You wanted him for the offseason program? Good luck. Because generally those guys don’t sign in March, they sign in late August. If they sign in late August. Because he doesn’t have to. So, if you tag Pickens and don’t do a deal, it’s going to be a while, and it’s going to be a saga.”
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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