Anything that has happened 12 times in team history isn't exactly a new occurrence. But yet, no two situations are ever the same and in the case of franchise tags, the Cowboys find themselves in yet a different scenario with George Pickens, who was issued the franchise tag by the Cowboys, who have now used it 12 times, however on 10 different players.
Pickens' situation is different because he wasn't drafted by the Cowboys and only spent one year in Dallas. He's also among two wide receivers at this position seeking a contact north of $30 million as CeeDee Lamb already has a deal worth $34 million per season.
So it's a lot for the Cowboys to sort out this offseason but as history suggests, they've been here. Let's look back at the 12 franchise tag situations in team history.
Going down memory lane for all 12 times the Cowboys have used the franchise tag, which is now standing on six years in a row.
Flozell Adams (2002): After completing his fourth NFL season, Adams became the first Cowboys player to receive the tag. The former second-round pick played the 2002 season on the $4.9 million tender. The following spring, with new head coach Bill Parcells' blessing, the Cowboys signed Adams to a lucrative five-year extension. He went on to make the Pro Bowl five of the next six years at left tackle.
Ken Hamlin (2008): The Cowboys franchised Hamlin ($4.4 million) after he delivered a Pro Bowl season on a one-year deal in 2007, helping Dallas win a franchise-record tying 13 games. The Cowboys signed Hamlin to a new six-year, $39 million contract a few months after franchising him. He was released in 2010 after recording one interception the first two years of the new deal.
Anthony Spencer (2012): Spencer, one of two Cowboys first-round picks in 2007, played on the one-year, $8.8 million tag in 2012. He delivered a career-high 94 tackles and 11 sacks to make his first and only Pro Bowl.
Anthony Spencer (2013): Spencer became the first Cowboys player to receive the tag in consecutive years. He signed it a week after the Cowboys issued the one-year, $10.6 million tender, but played only one game due to a knee injury that required microfracture surgery. He played only one more season with the Cowboys.
Dez Bryant (2015): This one went right down to the buzzer. After Bryant skipped offseason workouts seeking a long-term deal, he and the Cowboys agreed to a five-year, $70 million contract just before the July 15, 2015 negotiating deadline. Injuries limited him to 22 games over the next two years, and the Cowboys released him after the 2018 season.
DeMarcus Lawrence (2018): Lawrence signed his first franchise tag hours after the Cowboys offered him the one-year, $17.1 million tender. Fresh off a 2017 season in which he posted 14.5 sacks, the most by a Cowboys player since DeMarcus Ware's 15.5 in 2010, Lawrence set out to produce another Pro Bowl season.
DeMarcus Lawrence (2019): Lawrence did just that, making his second career Pro Bowl with 10.5 sacks despite a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Cowboys initially franchised him again ($20.5 million) but both sides worked out a club-record $105 million extension in April 2019.
Dak Prescott (2020): The Cowboys' front office has stated their top offseason priority is re-signing Prescott long term after his career season in 2019. Prescott has said repeatedly over the past year that he wants to be a Cowboy long term. Will a deal get done in the next three weeks? We'll just have to wait and see.
2021 – Dak Prescott; For the second straight year, the Cowboys placed the tag on Dak, but the $37.7 charge only proved to be a placeholder as the club was close to finalizing Dak's new deal. They were able to sign him to a four-year, $160 million contract, preventing him from playing on the tag for a second straight season.
2023 – Tony Pollard: The Cowboys are in a unique spot at running back this offseason. Their starter, Ezekiel Elliott, wasn't the most productive of the two backs, but he's also expected to count over $16 million on the cap. Pollard, who had a breakout season and made the Pro Bowl, is coming off an injury in the playoff loss that required a surgery. So there's some unknown issues all around the position. But Pollard did enough last year when healthy for the Cowboys to at least give him a shot to carry the ball more. And while $10.1 million is still quite a bit for one player, it's the cheapest of any position on the field, aside from the specialists.
2026 – George Pickens: This franchise tag is one of the more unique situations for Cowboys. Other than Ken Hamlin, the rest of the players were not only home-grown talent but had been on the roster for a few seasons. That could be one of the things that makes this long-term negotiation a bit tricky compared to the others. For Pickens, he's really only had one great season so the Cowboys likely wouldn't mind him playing on the tag to prove it again. The other thing that makes this one unique, is that Pickens – even with the $27 million tag – is not the highest-paid player at this position for the Cowboys, considering CeeDee Lamb's contract is over $34 million per season. So it's a lot for the Cowboys to factor into the equation this offseason.
