ESPN hands Dallas Cowboys unexpected praise for unpopular move, and it’s well earned knowing what we know now
Many fans wanted George Pickens signed to a long-term deal. But the Dallas Cowboys’ approach is aging very well so far.
The Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 offseason is a tricky one to grade. On one hand, they overhauled the defense—players and coaches—but it’s only fair to ask if they did enough. You can also question their decision to trade away DT Osa Odighizuwa.
On offense, they found a way to keep George Pickens, albeit via the franchise tag.
This is all to say, when ESPN grades their offseason with C+, I can’t hate it. But what really caught my eye from Seth Walder’s recent offseason grades is the “move I liked” section. Let’s dive in.
ESPN applauds Cowboys’ approach with George Pickens
For each team, Walder chose the move he liked the most. Unexpectedly, he chose one of the decisions that has been highly controversial among fans: tagging George Pickens.
Following an All-Pro caliber year, many wanted the Cowboys to secure Pickens to a long-term deal. However, Walder believes not committing yet was the right call.
“After (George Pickens’) exceptional 2025 season, the Cowboys applied the franchise tag but said they wouldn’t negotiate a long-term deal with him,” Seth Walder writes. “This was the right move.”
Walder explained: “Handing him a new contract right now would be paying Pickens at the peak of his worth. And I can’t help but think about Pickens falling out of favor in Pittsburgh — even with Mike Tomlin there — and wonder if there’s a risk of that happening in Dallas, too. Considering that, I don’t see a great reason for Dallas to commit to him long term before it has to. And it doesn’t have to right now.”
Though Walder is certainly not the first to point it out, it’s easy to forget about the issues Pickens had with the Steelers. To be fair, those appear to have disappeared in Dallas even though Pickens was fined at one point of the season and even benched in the opening drive of a Monday Night Football showdown for missing curfew in Las Vegas (alongside teammate CeeDee Lamb, who hadn’t had a problem like that before Pickens’ arrival).
Even still, asking Pickens to prove it one more year (both on the field and off of it) is a wise move from the Cowboys. And knowing what we know now, it’s even better.
Cowboys’ decision is already aging well
One of the biggest concerns about not extending Pickens was the possibility of him holding out of training camp. The Cowboys wide receiver, who showed up to mandatory minicamp and even participated in drills, told reporters he doesn’t plan to hold out nor to hold in.
Pickens’ decision shows the Cowboys made the right call by shutting down negotiations early. Such a move meant it was up to Pickens to play his cards. Why hold out if there are no hopes of getting a long-term deal done?
The Cowboys read this situation right. By removing negotiations from the equation, the best path forward for Pickens was clearly to show up and raise his price for the 2027 offseason.
For now, the Cowboys get another year of Pickens focused on becoming one of the highest paid receivers in the game. It’s a win-win for everyone, as the receiver is bound to make over $27 million this year.