Jerry Jones has been the Dallas Cowboys' owner for decades. He's made almost all decisions about the personnel, the roster, and every single thing that goes down in Arlington. However, it looks like he still won't learn from his past mistakes.
Time and time again, Jones has dragged out contract extension talks with his star players. He goes on the radio to take subtle shots at the players or their agents, rubs them the wrong way, and then gets a deal done at the eleventh hour.
Of course, he ends up paying much more than he would have if he had signed the player in a timely manner, either because the relationship reached a breaking point or because the market changed. That's exactly what's going to happen with George Pickens.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Extension Just Drove George Pickens' Price up
According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Seattle Seahawks have made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. He just agreed to a four-year, $166.8 million contract extension, giving him an annual average of $42.15 million and over $120 million guaranteed.
The Cowboys used the franchise tag on Pickens to make sure he'd stay in free agency. That will pay him approximately $27.98 million, which is slightly less than the $30.6 million Spotrac projected as his market value. However, Smith-Njigba's deal has changed the entire wide receiver market, and the baseline has just moved up.
It was always hard to believe that Pickens would agree to play ball and just return on the franchise tag. The Cowboys have until July 15 to get a new deal done, or he might threaten to sit and force his way out of the organization. That's an unnecessary risk, as the Cowboys have always been vocal about their desire to keep him, and he was their best offensive player last season by a significant margin.
History isn't on Jerry Jones' side. He has rarely, if ever, won this type of negotiation. In recent years alone, it happened to him with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, and it cost him Micah Parsons. Pickens has the same representation as Parsons, so there's definitely no love lost there, and there won't be any hometown discounts or concessions to stay in Dallas.
The Cowboys took a big swing when they traded for a talented but volatile player like Pickens. That comes with some risks, and he looks like the last guy you'd want to mess with when it comes to contract negotiations. Now, with the Seahawks resetting the market, the Cowboys might have no choice but to pay Pickens much more than they would've had a couple of weeks ago.