Jerry Jones just said what Cowboys fans want to hear about George Pickens following epic Week 4 performance
The Dallas Cowboys found a big-time player in George Pickens and now Jerry Jones is thinking about his future with the team.
When the Dallas Cowboys traded a third round draft pick for wide receiver George Pickens in May, they were aiming to land a No. 2 wide receiver to complement CeeDee Lamb and unleash Dak Prescott’s play with two top tier targets. Last Sunday made it clear they got much more than that.
Though Pickens will clearly be the No. 2 of the offense when Lamb is healthy, he proved in Week 4 he can be a true No. 1 when called upon. Without CeeDee in the lineup due to an ankle injury, Pickens stepped up with eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. All in all, it was one of his best two career performances.
The performance was so dominant that it was a reminder that as of today, Pickens is a one-year rental for the Cowboys. It was also the kind of statement game that makes you think you better not let him go. Pickens in Dallas can be special. Even owner Jerry Jones, who would be the man in charge of getting a deal done, said so Monday.
“He’s an exemplary teammate,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning. “He’s exemplary in his work preparation. And you can see the results of that out there Sunday.”
Jerry Jones says the Cowboys are in a position to extend Pickens
Asked about Pickens’ long-term future, Jones said the Cowboys are in a position to get a deal done if that’s what they want to do down the road.
“I’m proud to tell you that we’ve got some outstanding structure in our cap space that will allow us to do a lot of things that I didn’t think [were possible] when we finished this time last year,” Jones said. “We got it. We paid a price for it. We had to not sign some players [. . .] We can do it now.”
Despite Jones’ comments, however, an extension for Pickens is unlikely to come anytime before next offseason. The Cowboys and Pickens both indicated in the preseason they’d rather wait until 20266 to start negotiations. Keep in mind, David Mulugheta—who also represents Micah Parsons—is Pickens’ agent. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned is he will maximize his player’s leverage. Simply put, Mulugheta knows if Pickens keeps playing like he has for a full year, he’ll have all the leverage.
However, Jones being this open about the Cowboys’ ability to secure Pickens for the long-term is a promising development.
Early on, Pickens has checked the two boxes Cowboys were waiting for
If the Cowboys can make it work financially, they have good reason to believe they should get an extension done as soon as possible. After all, Pickens has delivered in the two areas the front office was expected to evaluate: Behavior and on-field performance.
The first item has been all positive. The Cowboys haven’t seen the version of Pickens that was so criticized in Pittsburgh. Sure, things could drastically change if the targets stop coming for Pickens over an extended period of time. That remains a mystery the Cowboys hope they don’t have to find out above. But so far, he’s been nothing short of an ideal teammate. His relationship with CeeDee Lamb couldn’t be better and the trade appears to have helped him mature.
As for his play, it speaks for itself. Pickens is making a clear impact on the Cowboys offense even when he’s not making the catch. Be it bringing the football down, pulling coverage toward him, or drawing a defensive pass interference, Pickens makes a play more often than not.
Dallas Cowboys News
Micah Parsons says it all about Dak Prescott’s performance with morning-after choice of words for Dallas Cowboys quarterback
Game recognizes game.
