The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to trade for George Pickens this offseason could hardly have worked out any better for quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense. It’s imperative that owner and GM Jerry Jones and his staff find a way to keep the dynamic wideout in the fold when the offseason arrives.
Pickens is slated to hit free agency at the conclusion of his 2025 campaign. The Cowboys have the ability to retain him via the Franchise tag, but that would take his salary all the way up to somewhere around $29 million in 2026. That’s a challenging number for Dallas’ front office to accommodate given their other salary obligations in the future.
The far better path for the Cowboys’ front office would be to hammer out a long-term extension that would tie Pickens up for years to come. It would also result in lowering his annual average salary to a much more palatable number for Dallas to avoid.
Cowboys fans have every right to feel concerned about their front office’s ability to come to tie Pickens down for the long haul. Dallas’ failure to move quickly to ink Prescott to a contract extension cost them millions of dollars when they finally convinced him to put pen to paper. More importantly, it cost Dallas significant payroll flexibility when it came to surrounding Prescott with elite talent.
The team’s decision to trade Micah Parsons also can be partially attributed to their inability to sign a star player to a long-term deal. The Cowboys ultimately decided Parsons would not get the massive contract he was looking for before he was shipped to Green Bay. The Cowboys might have been able to avoid that nuclear option if they had engaged Parsons in meaningful contract talks earlier in the process.
The hope in Dallas has to be that Jones and his front office have learned from their mistakes. Pickens appears to be the perfect complement to CeeDee Lamb to unlock the team’s passing game. The Cowboys have no way to replace him other than gambling on a wide receiver with a high pick in next year’s draft. It’s simply a risk Dallas cannot afford to take if they’re serious about strengthening their Super Bowl credentials heading into the 2026 campaign.
Pickens and his representatives know they have a lot of leverage at their disposal. The Cowboys need to keep him on the roster and can’t afford to use the franchise tag to make that thappen. They also need to win some points with the fan base by avoiding a long, fruitless negotiation.
That’s going to embolden Pickens to ask for a contract similar to the four-year, $136 deal Lamb got from the franchise. The Cowboys should be excited to realize any savings they can under the $29 million they might be forced to pay via the franchise tag.
A four-year deal that starts at $25 million per season with modest escalations could be a win for both parties. Something like $108 million in potential earnings for Pickens should be enough to get it done. Don’t be surprised if the “reported” number is much higher than that, but features some tough incentives. Pickens might want more cash than that, but he’d be wise to accept that lucrative offer from the Cowboys.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, and more specifically Aaron Rodgers, have had to answer a lot of questions following the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Just when the defense starts playing well, all of a sudden Aaron Rodgers plays the worst game of his Steelers tenure and the offense can’t get out of its own way.
There is hope that changes this week on the run front, as Isaac Seumalo practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. He has been the key cog in the Steelers’ ability to generate any push in the run game.
Howard missed the latter portion of camp and all of the preseason after suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand, landing on the injured reserve at the end of August. His activation window had been open for three weeks, and the Steelers had to decide whether to bring Howard back or leave him on the reserved list for the rest of the season.
“It was like all that joy of being a little kid playing football again came back,” said Howard via Steelers.com “My first two plays (when I returned) on the scout team, I handed the ball off. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled more on two handoff plays in my life. I was just happy to be back out there.”
Barring a serious injury or utter collapse from Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers in general, Howard won’t be seeing any playtime this year. That being said, the Steelers now have their emergency third quarterback, and the room looks much better than it has.
Broderick Jones is the headliner here. Say what you want about his play, but going into a game without your starting LT, even if there is no Trey Hendrickson, isn’t where any team wants to be with a 41-year-old QB.
Darius Slay continues to be in concussion protocol and will be on a day-to-day basis, potentially through game time. Asante Samuel Jr. is on the practice squad, but that can change, leading all the way up to Saturday.