PHOENIX — It's now been over a month since the Cowboys placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, who had a Pro Bowl year with Dallas in his first season with the team in 2025.
When asked about the status of negotiations at the NFL Owner's Meetings on Monday, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen declined to comment on where the situation stands.
"We're just not gonna comment as we move forward on negotiations on where that stands or anything like that." Jones said.
Jones also declined to comment on Pickens' status for the offseason program, which begins in a few weeks. Earlier in the day, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he had spoken with Pickens, but did not get any, nor seek any, assurance on his attendance at the voluntary team workouts.
"No, and I haven't pushed that on him," Schottenheimer said. "We're all going through the process. It's almost April, we're still a couple weeks away. It's going to play out the way it plays out. Again, it's all voluntary, so we'll see where it goes."
The franchise tag, which for Pickens in 2026 will cost the Cowboys $27.29 million should he sign it, has been an option Dallas has not been shy to use. Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dez Bryant are among players that the Cowboys have tagged at least once in the past.
From a player's perspective, a long-term deal is more attractive because of the security that it gives them compared to the tag, which places them under contract for one season. Jones recognizes and understands their perspective, but also knows using it can help in fielding a team.
"I respect that everybody would like to have a long-term deal," Jones said. "Obviously, teams around the league use it. Players around the league have played under a tag. It's a lot of money. But at the same time, I also understand why players want a long-term deal."
"We've had a lot of players here in Dallas, including our quarterback, the most valuable guy to the franchise, has played under a tag. We certainly understand it and respect it, but we also know it's part of the salary cap and part of putting the team together."
What the Cowboys also have a track record of doing is signing their franchise tagged players to extensions, which happened with Prescott, Lawrence and Bryant after they were tagged. Schottenheimer stood firm in his belief that Pickens will be in Dallas long-term.
"GP loves it here. We love GP. We have plans for GP to be here for a long time, so we'll let the business side of this thing play out and see where it goes." Schottenheimer said.
What does the plan for Pickens look like next season? Continuing to move Pickens around on the field, which Schottenheimer said he learned Pickens enjoyed while CeeDee Lamb was sidelined with an injury. When discussing his chat with Pickens, Schottenheimer added that he had been traveling with Lamb during the offseason and was also working out with Dak Prescott, something Schottenheimer believes will greatly benefit the offense.
"He's excited about that. He's looking forward to that. And that's where, again, the fact he's working and throwing with Dak and some of the other guys, that to me is more important than anything because you have to come up with that me-to-you factor. You know, Dak's thrown to CeeDee for however many years so those two guys working together, I think, is going to be huge moving into year two."
