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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in May 2025 and put up his best season yet in his first year in a Cowboys uniform.
He recorded a career-high 1,429 receiving yards, third most in the NFL, and nine touchdowns on just 93 catches, averaging 15.4 yards per catch. He was the team's leader in targets, ahead of CeeDee Lamb, and one of the most explosive athletes in the league last season.
Yet, instead of locking him up to the long-term deal he probably earned, the Cowboys placed the $27.3 million franchise tag on Pickens for the 2026 season. His projected market value is currently around $30.6 million, and he's seen multiple receivers lock up long-term deals in the months since at a higher annual rate than that.
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Now, there's another situation brewing in Dallas, and one that ties back in the Cowboys' decision to tag Pickens.
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, while Pickens is expected to play the 2026 season under the franchise tag, that could put more pressure on how they plan to deal with star linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, particularly if Pickens backs it up with another strong season. Overshown is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
"If Pickens has another Pro Bowl season and Overshown remains healthy and produces, it would make for an interesting dilemma because there would be only one franchise tag to go around," Archer wrote.
What's even more interesting is that both Pickens and Overshown are represented by the same agent, David Mulugheta, the same agent who was at the center of the Micah Parsons contract saga from last offseason.
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Overshown was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas. But before he played a single regular-season snap, he tore his ACL in preseason and sat out his entire rookie year.
He returned in 2024 and instantly delivered, finishing with 90 tackles, five sacks, four passes defended, an interception returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, all in just 13 games.
The reason why he only played 13 games? He got injured again in Week 14 against the Bengals, suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL, wiping out the rest of his season and most of his 2025 campaign, too. He appeared in just six games last year, totaling 28 tackles.
But now, for the first time since being drafted, he's entering the upcoming season completely healthy. "Everybody knows, when I'm healthy, I'm one of the best linebackers in the league ... I feel like people ain't seen my best yet. I know this is going to be one of my best years," he said back in May.
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The reality is that Dallas could extend him now and pay a lot less than they likely would if they wait a few months, especially if Overwhown has a strong 2026 season like he and others project.
But Jerry Jones has been notoriously reluctant to commit long-term money to players with lengthy injury histories. And he couldn't even justify giving Pickens a long-term deal, who just had one of the best seasons of any receiver in the NFL and played in every game.
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