FRISCO, Texas – George Pickens’ outstanding performance with the Dallas Cowboys has sparked speculation about his future with the team after the 2025 season.
“I wouldn’t mind staying,” Pickens said. “The teammates in the locker room are great. The energy is fantastic. But, as I said, I always want to showcase my talents, definitely.”
George PickensPickens, who arrived at the team in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers in May, will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. So far, he has achieved 32 receptions for 525 yards and scored six touchdowns in the last five games. If he scores again on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, he would become the first Dallas receiver to score a touchdown in six consecutive games since Terrell Owens in 2007. Pickens and Amari Cooper are the only Cowboys receivers to have recorded at least 500 yards and six touchdowns in their first six games with the team. When asked if the contract situation makes him nervous, Pickens replied: “I probably wouldn’t say that, because I’m in the middle of the season, so I’m not fully thinking about that. I just want to keep going and see how far we can get in the playoffs and stuff like that.” CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys star receiver, earns an annual salary of $34 million. Lamb, who has missed the last three games due to a left ankle sprain, is expected to return on Sunday against the Commanders. He was listed as limited on Wednesday. When asked what he needed to see from Lamb’s performance for him to play on Sunday, coach Brian Schottenheimer said, “Yeah, if he’s breathing, I’d feel pretty good. … Honestly. No, I mean, CeeDee knows how to play football. If he runs and catches a pass or two, I’m good.” The return of Lamb, added to Pickens’ productivity, could boost the number one offense in yards and number three in points in the league.“Much more dangerous, much more explosive, also, when you have other players like CeeDee and KaVontae Turpin out there,” Pickens commented. “It’s another component of explosiveness that you really can’t describe.”
George PickensPickens, who will turn 25 in March, could be one of the most coveted receivers in free agency if he were to become available. The Cowboys could also consider the option of using the franchise tag. On Tuesday, owner and general manager Jerry Jones avoided speculating on whether the team will start conversations for a new contract with Pickens, but expressed his satisfaction with the player’s performance since his arrival.“In every way, he’s doing more than we expected or could have hoped for,” Jones said. “And what’s really special is that he’s a great contribution to the team. He’s a great contribution to his teammates. He’s a great contribution to those coaches, and the coaches really think very highly of him. So he’s not only doing it on the field, but he’s also doing it as part of the team concept, and that’s very important and, in his particular case, should be noted.
Jerry Jones“We’ll see. We knew perfectly well that if things went as we wanted, we would certainly need to think about having some space available if we were going to pay a second receiver at that level.”
