The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t pick up a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. But a silver lining was the performance of wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens looked a superstar in the 30-27 loss, catching a career-high nine passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. In the final year of his rookie deal, performances like this should help Pickens get a big contract in free agency next spring and it’s left his future with the Cowboys in question.
While Pickens is free to get the bag wherever he wants – barring Dallas deciding to use the franchise tag on him – Dak Prescott is already doing his best to keep Pickens around with his comments following Sunday’s loss.
“He’s just an elite receiver, he’s playing hard, he’s understanding everything that we throw at him,” Prescott said via Mauricio Rodriguez of A to Z Sports. “Whether it’s being in different positions, you saw him in the slot a lot more today making big plays. And then after he gets the ball in his hands, some of the things he does, only George can do. He’s a special player, we’re lucky to have him, and we’re only going to get better each game.”
Dak Prescott’s Praise Makes Cowboys the Favorite to Keep George Pickens
Prescott’s comments paint a sunny picture for Pickens if he decides to return to Dallas next offseason. The Cowboys are a pretty comfortable place with a franchise quarterback and a fellow star receiver (CeeDee Lamb) to take some of the attention away from Pickens to do his best work. While he could get somewhere in the neighborhood of four years and $104 million according to Spotrac, Dallas also feels like the best place for his career.
It was just a few months ago that Pickens’ career felt like it was on the ropes. While he caught 293 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his maturity was questioned constantly and was part of the reason he was traded to Dallas.
Since then, Pickens has been a professional and has started to have elite production on the field. He is also thriving as the team’s No. 1 option, which will only help him when Lamb returns.
All of this means that Pickens could look at Dallas as his best option for next season and beyond. But a receiver-needy team could throw a lot of money his way to change his mind. If the Cowboys decide to pay up, they could have an advantage in his free agency – especially if Prescott speaks as highly of Pickens as he is right now.