The Dallas Cowboys got another reason to extend George Pickens from an unlikely source
The Dallas Cowboys keep finding reasons to extend George Pickens in the next few months.
I can think of many reasons the Dallas Cowboys should extend wide receiver George Pickens this offseason, and I’m sure they can, too.
After all, we just witnessed him play the best football of his career after pairing up with Dak Prescott. With 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, Pickens became a second-team All-Pro receiver in 2025. But recently, the Cowboys got another reason to keep Pickens around, and it came from an unlikely source.
Cowboys’ DC search reaffirmed Pickens must stay
According to NFL insider Jori Epstein, multiple candidates for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator opening—since filled by Christian Parker—directly told the team they were “a pain” to play due to the combination of CeeDee Lamb and Pickens at wide receiver. And speaking to Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones, she was told the team’s confidence in getting a deal done only raised as a result.
“The Cowboys’ defensive coordinator interviews actually further instilled their confidence in why they should keep George Pickens around,” NFL insider Jori Epstein said on Yahoo! Sports’ Inside Coverage. “Because they’re talking to all these defensive coordinator candidates and they’re like ‘hey, you guys were a pain to go against this year.”
All year long, it was clear having Lamb and Pickens posed a unique challenge for defenses: How do you double either of them without leaving a one-on-one matchup against the other? But to hear it directly from opposing coaches had to be valuable for the Cowboys.
No talks yet between Pickens and Cowboys
On Monday morning, Dallas Morning News reported the Cowboys haven’t held talks with Pickens yet.
It’s still early int he offseason but what is clear is the Cowboys have to decide if they want to force Pickens to play under the franchise tag—which would likely imply Pickens missing the offseason program and training camp—or sign him to a long-term deal.
The biggest concerns about signing Pickens to a long-term deal are mostly about his behavior, which was an issue during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though the Cowboys didn’t go through any troubles with Pickens in 2025, he did miss curfew in Las Vegas alongside Lamb.
Perhaps language that voids guarantees in case of suspension or things of the sort eases the Cowboys concerns about making a long-term commitment, Epstein noted in her report. But for now, the football side of things is crystal clear.
With Pickens on board, the Cowboys can keep defensive coordinators around the league up at night. And they have that information first-hand.