{"id":733537,"date":"2026-02-06T13:38:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/733537\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T13:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:38:22","slug":"jerry-jones-offers-optimistic-update-on-george-pickens-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/733537\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerry Jones Offers Optimistic Update on George Pickens Extension"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6e\">Losing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/micah-parsons-opens-up-compromised-relationship-jerry-jones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Micah Parsons<\/a> was a big blow for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dallas Cowboys <\/a>defense last year, but Jerry Jones continues to spin the trade as a positive. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6h\">Jones used some of the draft capital gained in the Parsons trade to acquire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/quinnen-williams-raves-new-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-christian-parker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">defensive tackle Quinnen Williams<\/a>. He still has a first round pick to use from that trade as well, which is expected to be used on a defensive player.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6k\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-make-nfl-history-2026-international-series-game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dallas Cowboys to Make NFL History in 2026 International Series Game<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6n\">In addition to these moves, Jones also has more room under the salary cap. Dallas already extended DaRon Bland and Tyler Smith, but they\u2019re not done yet. According to Jones, they have the freedom to do whatever they need to now, including working out an extension with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/pending-nfl-free-agent-george-pickens-being-recruited-nfc-rival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">George Pickens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6q\">Jones was asked if he believed the Cowboys could sign Pickens, even though fellow receiver CeeDee Lamb is already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-interesting-question-george-pickens-contract-exceeds-ceedee-lamb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">making an average of $34 million <\/a>per season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6t\"> &#8220;Absolutely. A lot of the reasons I did some of things that I did last year was to retain some players that if it would have gone in different directions I couldn&#8217;t have done it,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jerry Jones was asked can he pay George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb fair market value: &#8220;Absolutely. A lot of the reasons I did some of things that I did last year was to retain some players that if it would have gone in different directions I couldn&#8217;t have done it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/calvinwatkins\/status\/2019586747085230119?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">Pickens is scheduled for free agency and while the Cowboys can use the franchise tag, an extension would be preferable. Not only would that keep Pickens happy, but his contract could be spread out over the next several years rather than taking an estimated $28.1 million hit in 2026,<\/p>\n<p>George Pickens has earned a huge payday<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">Agreeing to a long-term deal is easier said than done, especially after what Pickens accomplished in 2025.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"78\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/former-nfl-qb-boldly-claims-cowboys-starting-a-brand-new-super-bowl-window\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Former NFL QB Boldly Claims Cowboys Starting a Brand-New Super Bowl Window<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7b\">After being traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickens went off for the Cowboys. He had 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. All of those stats were career highs and he was dominant enough to command north of $30 million this offseason.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7e\">Unfortunately, contract negotiations have been a sore subject in Dallas over the past three seasons, but the optimistic response from Jones is encouraging.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter\u00a0<\/a>for more free coverage from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7k\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/draft\/new-dallas-cowboys-2026-nfl-mock-draft-takes-wild-turn-shock-wr-pick-round-1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New Cowboys 2026 Mock Draft Takes Wild Turn With Shock WR Pick in Round 1<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/6-dallas-cowboys-dream-targets-2026-nfl-free-agency\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">6 Dallas Cowboys Dream Targets in 2026 NFL Free Agency<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7q\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/cowboys-urged-to-trade-first-round-pick-for-all-pro-pass-rusher\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cowboys Urged to Trade First-Round Pick for All-Pro Pass Rusher<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7t\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/pending-nfl-free-agent-george-pickens-being-recruited-nfc-rival\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pending Free Agent George Pickens Being Recruited by NFC Rival, Per CeeDee Lamb<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7w\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-most-likely-cap-casualties-include-53-game-starter-all-pro-dt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cowboys &#8216;Most Likely&#8217; Cap Casualties Include 53-Game Starter, All-Pro DT<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7z\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/brenley-herrera-dallas-cowboys-cheerleader-2025-rookie-photos-bio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Meet Brenley Herrera: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader 2025 Rookie<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Losing Micah Parsons was a big blow for the Dallas Cowboys defense last year, but Jerry Jones continues&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733538,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[230,229,257,2461,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-733537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-cowboys","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-cowboys","11":"tag-dallascowboys","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116023964975808404","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}