The Dallas Cowboys may be about to land their biggest win of the offseason per latest insider intel
The Dallas Cowboys took a risk with George Pickens when they announced they wouldn’t negotiate a long-term deal. It’s about to pay off according to the latest report.
The George Pickens experience hasn’t been quite as dramatic as the Micah Parsons one last year, but it’s been quite the roller coaster.
The Dallas Cowboys shut down negotiations prior to the NFL Draft. Pickens shockingly decided to sign the tag but missed the (voluntary) OTAs practices. From there, head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed Pickens was expected at mandatory minicamp. Then, Pickens hit reporters with a “uhhh” response when asked if he’d indeed attend.
And now, we have one more update one day before the Cowboys kick off their three-day minicamp. And it’s a major win for the Cowboys if confirmed.
Pickens plans to attend minicamp
According to Clarence Hill Jr. from DLLS Sports, a source close to Pickens indicated the wide receiver plans to show up on Tuesday to mandatory minicamp.
“That’s the plan, for (Pickens) to be at minicamp,” Hill Jr. said on DLLS Sports’ show. “We don’t know what he will do, we know that the Cowboys will most likely be cautious with him.”
Schottenheimer indicated last week while they trust Pickens has been working away from the facility, they need to see him live to understand where he’s at in terms of shape. Even still, with this stage of the offseason being so heavy on installs, it will be very valuable for him to show up.
Since Pickens decided to sign the tag after the NFL Draft, he is subject to fines if he doesn’t show up. If he misses three days of minicamp, the fines can go up to $107,911.
Why this is a major win if true
One of the biggest risks the Cowboys faced by not extending Pickens to a long-term deal was always about his participation in training camp. If Pickens diced to hold out, his chemistry with Dak Prescott would obviously take a hit.
That’s exactly what happened in 2024 when CeeDee Lamb and Prescott took a while to get on the same page after both lit up defenses in 2023. With Pickens expected to take on a much more versatile role in Year 2 with the Cowboys, him showing up early to Oxnard, California will be huge.
Attending mandatory minicamp would be a clear sign that he plans to show up early to camp.
This is to say, if Hill Jr.’s reports are confirmed on Tuesday, we have to give it up for the Cowboys front office. They took a calculated risk by shutting down all drama early in the offseason by coming out and saying they were not negotiating a long-term deal with Pickens.
It seems to have paid off, as Pickens is now worried about playing his cards right. And with no long-term deal in the horizon for him, the best course of action may be to simply show up and ball out. If he puts together another standout season, Pickens could be on the way to becoming the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
That’s not happening this year. But it might in 2027. If he shows up on Tuesday, that’s the reason why.