Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will play 2026 on $27.3 million franchise tender after deadline passes without extension

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will play the 2026 season on his $27.3 million franchise tender after the 4 p.m. ET deadline on July 15 passed without a long-term contract agreement. Pickens has already signed the tender.

The Cowboys announced before the NFL draft in April that they would not hold extension talks with him. He said last month after the first day of mandatory minicamp that he planned to focus on football first. "Like the tag and all that, it's just football first," Pickens said.

"So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about [the contract] ... " Pickens was one of four players tagged this year. The other three reached extensions before the deadline: Colts quarterback Daniel Jones on a two-year, $88 million deal in March; Jets running back Breece Hall on a three-year, $43.5 million contract in May; and Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.

On a three-year, $54 million agreement in June. The Cowboys last signed a first-time tagged player to an extension in 2015, when wide receiver Dez Bryant agreed to terms. Since then, quarterback Dak Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Tony Pollard have each played a season under the tag.

Prescott and Lawrence later signed extensions after a second tag; Schultz and Pollard left in free agency. The Cowboys acquired Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers last year for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. In his first season with Dallas, the 25-year-old recorded career highs of 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

The team opens the 2026 season on September 13 against the New York Giants.