2025 Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Receives Franchise Tag from the Cowboys
After a stellar season in Dallas, the Cowboys' wide receiver, George Pickens, is entering unrestricted free agency. Last season, he was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Dallas finished the season with a 7-9-1 record, missing the playoffs once again. Pickens finished the 2025 season with a career-best year after the trade. The 2025 Pro Bowl wide receiver racked up 93 receptions, 1,429 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns, and earned his first Pro Bowl nod. It was a well-done season. Pickens will now be moving on to bigger and better things for the upcoming NFL season.
Today, the Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver received the franchise tag from the team. This move guarantees the 2025 Pro Bowl wide receiver’s stay in Dallas for the 2026 NFL season. He is guaranteed $24.5 million with the franchise tag. Now, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones keeps one of his most explosive weapons on the roster for quarterback Dak Prescott. With Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have the opportunity to turn their fortunes around in the NFC East Division and make a long-awaited playoff run.
Before this deal happened, it was projected that Dallas would keep him on the roster. They wanted to keep him and either work out a long-term franchise deal, though this did not happen. The other side was that the Cowboys would franchise-tag him. Since he will be working with Prescott and the Cowboys once again, we’ve seen this pairing be an explosive dynamic duo. Pickens also has plenty of others to work with, possibly making it so he has another breakout season this coming year. That said, the 2025 Pro Bowl wide receiver's breakout season gave the Cowboys a reason to tag Pickens. Many analysts and fans were pushing for buyers to beware of his status, only because of consistency issues and discipline with past NFL players; however, the Cowboys saw right through all of that and felt he was the right fit. They cemented a huge foundational offensive piece to their roster and now hope they have the tools to be a serious playoff contender in 2026.
