Jaxon Smith-Njigba became the highest-paid receiver in NFL history this offseason, inking a four-year, $168.6 million extension with our very own Seattle Seahawks. That monster deal, at $42.2 million average annual value, and the market precedent it set, has Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones sweating bullets about keeping his own star receiver duo together in the Emerald City.
Dallas Is Backing Itself Into a Corner
Jones went on the DLLS Cowboys podcast on Monday and dropped a bombshell that has to make Cowboys fans nervous. “I don’t know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market [money], so that’s going to be a really difficult situation as we move forward,” he said about George Pickens’ future. Sounds like a problem they’ve already got on their hands, right? Dallas slapped the $27.3 million franchise tag on Pickens in February after he had a career-high 2025 campaign, leading the team with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl nod. Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb, a 2023 All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the last four years, is locked into a four-year, $136 million deal signed in August 2024. Last season, Lamb pulled in 75 receptions for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns over 14 games, missing three due to an ankle injury. Combined, Dallas is shelling out $61.3 million to Lamb and Pickens this season alone.
The Emerald City Flex That Just Crushed Dallas’s Dream
For perspective, our guy Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s $42.2 million average annual value stands alone, but other teams are already feeling the pinch. The Cincinnati Bengals are dishing out roughly $69.1 million to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and guess what? They haven’t made the playoffs since 2022. The Detroit Lions are shelling out roughly $56.7 million for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. And the Cowboys? They haven’t sniffed the playoffs since 2023. Jones knows what’s coming, too. “George is really wanting to put back-to-back years on top of one another, so it’ll help his market,” he said. “And certainly, I know at some point, as does every player in this league, he’ll want to be rewarded with a long-term contract.” That’s not just putting pressure on them, that’s a full-blown crisis waiting to happen.
The Cowboys open their 2026 regular season on the road against the New York Giants on September 13. Will this receiver drama hang over their season like a dark cloud? Stephen Jones might be saying it’s “difficult” now, but it’s about to get a whole lot harder when Pickens wants his payday after the season. If they can’t figure it out, Dallas fans are gonna be looking at another early exit, while the 12s watch JSN ball out for years.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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