If the Dallas Cowboys were worried about anything this offseason, it was George Pickens holding out due to a contract dispute. Luckily, that didn't happen, and he defied the odds of a typical Cowboys offseason by attending mandatory minicamp and training camp.
Now that Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is agreeing to a four-year, $140 million contract extension, he's making $35 million in average annual salary, matching Minnesota's Justin Jefferson. Some fans were surprised at the deal, calling it an overpay. Either way, Flowers is getting paid, while Pickens is playing on the $27.3 million fully guaranteed franchise tag.
He went on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas to give his reaction. He gave Flowers credit where it's due, but of course, he had to talk about his own contract situation.
"I honestly feel like that's nice...Me personally, I think I'm in that range or above."
George Pickens says he's in the range of Zay Flowers, making $35 million a year
According to Spotrac, Pickens' market value is $30.6 million. If he has another season like last year, you can bet that value is going to be booming.
Give Pickens credit here, too. He was reminded about his value for 2026, and he kept his head high and even praised Flowers, a player on his former rival team.
Maybe it's an overpay, but Flowers has back-to-back seasons of 1,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in his three-year NFL career. It may have been too early to give him that sort of extension, but it moved the goalpost for the rest of the NFL WRs.
It's a question that will loom starting next offseason, but the Cowboys are in a pickle to pay both Lamb and Pickens at the top of the market. Also, Jerry Jones has to think about paying Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, two elite defensive tackles in the game whom he preached about last season when talking about stopping the run.
Also, every team's salary cap is different, which is why the Ravens were able to pay Flowers.
Cowboys columnist Mickey Spagnola made it make sense on 105.3 The Fan when discussing what the Flowers deal means for Pickens.
"You've got to point out, every salary cap is different. We look at it a lot of times as well, 'there's the going rate.' Well, it might be the going rate for that team, but that team might not need to pay Quinnen Williams, and they may not be paying their number one wide receiver $34, $35 million a year as they do CeeDee Lamb."
It's all about how teams can make the contracts work, and regardless of how some fans may feel about an "overpay," the Ravens made it work.
Does that mean the Cowboys can make it work with 1A and 1B next season? It's possible, and the Joneses do great work restructuring deals. It was the perfect opportunity to ask Pickens about what he thought, and he gave fans a gold nugget about what the Joneses can expect to do, assuming he gives the same production as he did in 2025.
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