March 1, 2026, 10:41 a.m. ET
The Dallas Cowboys have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens.Pickens had a breakout season with the Cowboys in 2025, recording 1,492 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.He was previously traded to Dallas from the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he spent his first three seasons.Before his NFL career, Pickens played for the Georgia Bulldogs and helped them win a national championship.
The Dallas Cowboys are doing what they can to keep a Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver George Pickens around. They’ve placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The two sides are working on a new contract to keep Pickens in the star-studded uniform despite Dallas placing a $28 million (approximate) franchise tag on Pickens.
Pickens broke out in 2025. With the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was a good receiver, always showing flashes of being a superstar but never quite getting there. Ever since he was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, he’s averaged around 58 receptions, 977 yards and four touchdowns in his first three seasons with the Steelers.
However, due to some effort issues and his rookie contract expiring, the Steelers cut bait, shipping Pickens off to the Dallas Cowboys, along with a 2027 sixth-round pick, for a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick. With the Cowboys, he finally became the elite receiver everyone thought he could be.
Pickens totaled 1,492 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 93 receptions. He was third in the NFL in receiving yards and sixth in yards/reception (15.4). With his pending free agency, he’s the top UFA in the league. The Cowboys are going to need to make a major decision to keep him.
Before his NFL career, he should similar flashes of an elite receiver with the Georgia Bulldogs. He had 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three-year Georgia career, but he had 727 yards and eight touchdowns in his freshman season. He did help Georgia win a national championship against Alabama in 2021, corralling a huge 52-yard reception that helped Georgia kick a field goal to make it 3-3.
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