The Dallas Cowboys have officially franchise-tagged George Pickens after the former Pittsburgh Steeler managed to record career-high numbers in both receiving yards and touchdowns in his first season with the team. Given the sheer amount of production that they were able to unearth with Pickens in 2025, many are wondering why the franchise opted to tag him rather than offer him an outright extension.
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Some are chalking it up to the greed of Jerry Jones, while others are pointing towards the fact that the Cowboys have the least amount of cap space of any team in the league, but according to the team’s Hall of Fame wide receiver, Michael Irvin, it could have more to do with Pickens attempting to time the market more so than anything else.
“I don’t know if George wants to get a deal done right now,” Irvin mused during the latest episode of his podcast.
“If I’m him, I’m waiting on guys like Puka Nacua, who’s working on a new deal too. That’s going to raise the level. When that franchise tag got placed, officially, it gave us a whole new round of stuff to stir.”
The Cowboys have already been subjected to several false reports this offseason, with the majority of them being focused on the team’s negotiations involving players like Pickens and Brandon Aubrey. According to Irvin, that’s not a mistake on the media’s behalf, but rather a series of 4D chess moves which are all aimed at getting the owner of the team, Jerry Jones, to close his heart and thus his wallet as well.
“Here comes the spoon of bull s**t,” Irvin exclaimed. “They are trying to stir it all up… That’s what they do now, to try and get up under Jerry’s skin, so he can harden his heart and not get anything done. So, let the games begin.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dallas is planning on restructuring the deals of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith throughout the coming weeks. That series of deals is expected to create roughly $66 million in cap space, allowing Jones to fulfill his vision of the team becoming “big spenders” later this offseason.
Of course, that’s always easier said than done, especially when you’re doing business with an owner and general manager who has, at times, refused to talk with his players’ agents and representatives. For better or worse, however, that’s how things tend to get done in Jerry World.
So, unless you’re a sucker for offseason drama, then you may want to look away, as this tends to be the time of year when things are only beginning to heat up for both Jones and the Cowboys.
