Dak Prescott wants the Dallas Cowboys to ‘back up the Brinks truck’ for George Pickens, and honestly, who can blame him? Pickens is a certified star, and even Prescott knows he is a “hell of a player” who “should get every dollar that he deserves.” He even said they should probably give it to him “sooner than later because the price is only gonna go up.” Unfortunately for Prescott and the Cowboys, they messed up. The deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a long-term deal passed back in July, meaning Pickens is stuck playing this season on a fully guaranteed, one-year, $27.3 million contract. They cannot offer him a long-term deal until *after* the Super Bowl. Talk about missing a window!
The Rising Tide of Receiver Money
Prescott is absolutely spot on about the price only going up. The wide receiver market has exploded big time over the last few years. And get this, our own Jaxon Smith-Njigba set a new high-water mark at the position this offseason. Our guy signed a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension. Yeah, you read that right. JSN just pushed the ceiling sky-high for every other top receiver in the league. Now, Pickens just needs to come close to replicating his monster year in Dallas last year, where he snagged 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, earning Pro-Bowler and Second Team All-Pro honors. If he does, he is going to get paid at or near the top of that market by someone, whether it is the Cowboys or another team. The only way it does not happen is if Dallas tags him a second time.
Dallas’s Dilemma: Two Top Dogs
Paying both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on long-term deals would not be totally unheard of. The Bengals paid Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Lions paid Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and the Eagles paid A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith before trading Brown this offseason. The Dolphins even paid Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle before moving on from both of them later. But here is the catch: in almost every one of those scenarios, the secondary receiver got paid a good chunk less than the No. 1 guy. Pickens? If he has another season close to his talent level, his contract might actually pay him *more* than Lamb. That would be wild! Paying two wideouts at that unprecedented level, while also shelling out big bucks for Prescott, Tyler Smith, and Quinnen Williams, is going to be incredibly complicated for Dallas.
So, while Pickens is balling out this season on his guaranteed $27.3 million, the clock is ticking for Dallas. After the Super Bowl, it is game on for George Pickens’ long-term money. Will the Cowboys pony up, even after seeing JSN’s deal? Or will some other team make him the league’s next highest-paid pass-catcher? This story is just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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