The Dallas Cowboys have been trying to work out a long-term deal with George Pickens lately, and they ultimately decided to franchise-tag him while they continue negotiations. It’s a $27.2 million placeholder that the receiver will earn, and Dak Prescott is hyped for his teammate. So much so that the QB offered Pickens advice on what he should do next.
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If you didn’t know, Dak also went through the franchise tag process in 2020 before earning a massive 4-year, $160 million extension. He then signed another extension for 4 years, $240 million after that. All in all, he bet on himself and proved that he was worth the money.
That’s why Prescott is now advising Pickens to focus on football and not get caught up in the business side of things. He knows that if Pickens plays well this next season, the money will eventually come.
“George loves football. That’s the one thing about it. I just want him to know, don’t change your love for football. Don’t get in the business mind of this,” Prescott advised Pickens via DallasCowboys.com. “You played last year on a one-year [deal] for not even that much, right? So, if you can go $30 [million] or whatever it is now, I think it’s the same thing I got when I was franchised, hey, go do it.”
It is around the same figure that Dak earned when he was franchise-tagged in ’20 for $31.4 million. Nowadays, that figure for QBs has jumped to $44 million thanks to salary cap bumps. It’s a hefty amount that entices players to stick around for a season while negotiating a longer deal. Although not every player is always okay with this process. We’re thinking of you, Le’Veon Bell.
Regardless, there were a lot of details that Dak got into while on the record talking about his teammate’s contract. He certainly cares about getting Pickens back on the team. After all, he put up 1,429 receiving yards, good for third in the NFL, and at times looked like the Cowboys’ best weapon. In reaction to the quotes, though, former receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh didn’t appreciate how in the weeds Dak got.
“I wish Dak would’ve minded his business with this,” TJ said during his appearance on the Speakeasy podcast.
“He said way too much. Like, normally, does he really get this in-depth with his answers? Not really. So now, why do you really want to go in-depth when it pertains to me, boy? Mind your business. Like, you always do, you always say the right things. You can’t say the right things now?” asked the former wideout.
It was a strong reaction from TJ. As a former receiver, he perhaps felt the need to stand up for Pickens, placing himself directly in his shoes.
“I wish Dak Prescott would’ve minded the business that pays him on this”
– @housh84 responds to Dak Prescott’s latest comments on George Pickens’ franchise tag from the Cowboys
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— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) March 5, 2026
At the end of the day, though, Dak was simply trying to advise a teammate from experience. It’s really not that big of a deal. In fact, as a QB and leader of the team, we would expect him to say something like this. Maybe going through the media was unnecessary. But in this day and age, everyone wants the opinion of the players, and that’s exactly what Prescott offered.
Dak didn’t stop there with his advice for Pickens, though. He also said, “Things are gonna come up, things aren’t gonna sit right [with you]. You’re gonna feel slighted when they [offer] you a million or two less than whatever you said, and that’s just the business.”
Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see if the Cowboys can lock up Pickens long-term. Dak sounds like he’s itching to get back on the field alongside him. Let’s see if Jerry Jones and the front office can make enough cap space to secure his services. Dallas was one of the most potent offenses in the NFL last year with Dak, Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, and Javonte Williams.
