Dak Prescott, Who Took the Most Expensive Contract in NFL History, Sends a Clear Message to George Pickens After Being Franchise Tagged

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott urges George Pickens to learn from his playbook and stay in Dallas even after being franchise tagged.

Dak Prescott, Who Took the Most Expensive Contract in NFL History, Sends a Clear Message to George Pickens After Being Franchise Tagged

George Pickens and Dak Prescott inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

George Pickens finds himself in a situation similar to what his quarterback, Dak Prescott, went through a few years ago. Prescott fended off the temptation of accepting a chance to play for a different team and stayed as QB1 for the Dallas Cowboys. Now, the all-pro signal caller wants to see Pickens follow in his footsteps.

Despite a successful campaign in 2025, uncertainty loomed over Pickens’ future with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys decided to place a franchise tag on Pickens. The tag bought one extra year for the Cowboys to make decisions about the Pro Bowl wide receiver. That said, he’s free to speak with other teams. The Cowboys only need to match or better the offer for Pickens to continue playing for the Dallas franchise. The alternative for Jerry Jones is accepting high draft picks in exchange.

As free agency approached, Prescott was asked by reporters for his advice to Pickens. The first thing Prescott mentioned was Pickens’ love for football.

George loves football. [And] that’s the one thing about it, I just want him to know, don’t change your love for football, don’t get into the business mind of this. You played last year on a one-year [contract] for not even that much, right? So if you can go [for $27M], that’s the same thing I got, when I got franchised [in 2020], hey, go do it. At the end of the day, bet on yourself.

Dak Prescott said via Jon Machota of The Athletic

Prescott has earned the right to speak on the matter. He was tagged not once but in back-to-back years. In 2020, the Cowboys used their first tag, and a year later, Jones exercised the same power, this time placing an exclusive tag on the former MVP front-runner. Shortly after, the Cowboys signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension with $126 million guaranteed.

NFL analyst claims that George Pickens may have no other option but to play the 2026 season under the franchise tag

Pickens will earn around $27.3M this year, depending on whether he strikes a better deal elsewhere. However, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested that, because of his past antics, Pickens might have no choice but to end up playing for the Cowboys.

Dak Prescott, Who Took the Most Expensive Contract in NFL History, Sends a Clear Message to George Pickens After Being Franchise Tagged
George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

Before the Cowboys traded for the Georgia alum, he made a name for himself as a troublemaker on and off the field. The Cowboys took him in regardless of the complaints, and he paid them back with 1429 yards and 9 touchdowns from 93 receptions. According to Breer, teams might be torn about whether to submit a bid for Pickens.

He [Pickens] was unbelievable last year in his first season with Dallas, finally harvesting the talent that’s been so obvious since he was a teenager. But do you trust that, once he’s paid, he’ll continue to grow, and continue to work, and continue to be the right kind of guy in the locker room, when problems in those areas led to the Steelers giving up on him?

Albert Bree wrote

The Cowboys closely monitored Pickens throughout the year and penalized him for violating club rules. Earlier this year, multiple X profiles forwarded a report from Todd Archer of ESPN that the Cowboys had fined Pickens on several occasions. That said, the Cowboys never released an official report on the matter.

However, Pickens was disciplined by head coach Brian Schottenheimer for missing a few things before the Raiders game that ended in a 33-16 victory for the Cowboys.

When reporters asked Pickens about his future, the former second-round draft pick confessed that he wanted to play for the Cowboys last year. During NFL Combine week, Jones made it clear that he does not want to repeat the Micah Parsons debacle with Pickens and intends to speak with his agent in the coming days. It may take a while, but as far as the Cowboys are concerned, they want Pickens to start alongside CeeDee Lamb in the offense.

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