The Dallas Cowboys recently reported that they are going to franchise tag George Pickens for the 2026 season. They have until March 3 to decide whether or not that’s the route they want to pursue. If they do, we know from the past that things could get ugly if Pickens doesn’t comply with the situation. That’s why Stephen A. Smith went off on Dallas for putting themselves in such a bad spot.
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Pickens was incredible last year for the Cowboys. He was traded over from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season for a third-round 2026 pick and a fifth-round 2027 pick. It ended up being the steal of the offseason.
Pickens had career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in the Big D. He was a stabilizing presence who carried the receiving room during times when CeeDee Lamb was injured. All in all, he was a perfect fit in Dallas.
However, the team doesn’t seem too concerned about locking Pickens into a long-term contract. They reportedly want to place the franchise tag on him and are ready to face the repercussions. Stephen A. naturally doesn’t agree with this approach.
“Having Pickens under the franchise tag, I don’t know how good that is for the Cowboys,” Smith stated during a segment on First Take.
“If he’s worried about his long-term future, he’s going to go out and make what we call business decisions. Sometimes, you might not go all out because you’re trying to preserve your health and make sure you’re in position for that long-term deal,” added the analyst.
Effort was something that was already questioned at times last season with Pickens. Specifically, there was one game against the Detroit Lions in Week 14 where he didn’t look too interested in going all out for some receptions. So, he knows how to sandbag if the Cowboys want to treat him unfairly.
But we don’t know if Pickens is okay with the decision to franchise tag him. We assume he’s not, because he just showed that he should be making a lot of money. Yet, he could very well understand the Cowboys’ current financial situation and be willing to take less for a chance at a title run.
Regardless, Stephen A. thinks that the Cowboys need to decide on Pickens.
“I don’t like it at all. I don’t like the fact that they’re in a position to do this to George Pickens. Keep him long-term or let him go.”
“I don’t like it at all. … Keep him long term or let him go.”@stephenasmith thinks franchise tagging George Pickens is a bad idea pic.twitter.com/rNsXGjotTt
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 24, 2026
The issue with the Pickens situation is that the Cowboys already have a massive payroll. They’re third in the league when it comes to spending and are already carrying a cap hit of $38 million for Lamb, another wideout. So there’s not a lot of wiggle room for a large deal with Pickens, at least for the time being.
At the end of the day, the franchise tag could be a placeholder for a bigger deal in the future. Dallas could simply be securing Pickens’ roster spot while they clear up money by restructuring other contracts. Then they may eventually be able to sign him to the deal that he wants.
But for the time being, Pickens is going to have to settle for the franchise tag. It may not be the route that Stephen A. or others want Dallas to go down. However, things could still work; everyone just needs to be a little patient before the financials get sorted out.
