Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones has created a media storm after he revealed that the organization will have George Pickens play on the franchise tag in 2026.
Stephen stated there will be no talks on a potential long-term deal, meaning if Pickens wants to sign for the big money, he'll have to wait until next offseason.
The Cowboys' decision has been met with fierce pushback, given that the franchise has completely shut down the idea of an extension.
While the Cowboys stated the talks with Pickens and his agent to let them know the decision was good, time will tell if things really are as rosy as they appear to be.
Plus, we don't know why Dallas did this; it might have told Pickens why, and it could have landed well. But it also could have landed badly.
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Former NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh thinks the Cowboys should move off of George in favor of rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson.
"If I'm the Cowboys, trade George Pickens for a second-round pick and draft Jordyn Tyson,” Houshmandzadeh said on Speakeasy. “Because you don’t want George Pickens to contaminate the locker room. Jordyn Tyson, if he can stay healthy, man, buddy got some [expletive] to him. He’s quick, he’s got real good size, fast, it’s just his health. He can really play. At the 12th pick, I believe he’ll be there.
"You gave up a third for GP, give him up for a second.”
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First of all, if I'm Dallas, I'm not giving him away for a second-round pick. He's worth more than that.
Also, who will be willing to "double dip," meaning part ways with draft capital and then pay Pickens a long-term extension? Not many, I wouldn't think.
Secondly, Brian Schottenheimer's culture could be a great buffer for any "contamination" from Pickens, or at least that's the hope anyway.
As for Tyson, maybe Houshmandzadeh has forgotten Jerry Jones' comments on drafting players with injury history in college. Jerry stated that those players have been pushed down the pecking order, at least for him.
While yes, Tyson to Dallas has gathered steam over the past couple of days, the idea to move Pickens, at least for me, isn't a good one.
This Cowboys team has to win now, and if they trade George, it will signal that the franchise has no intention of getting better to chase playoff football in 2026.
And that would be disastrous for the perception of Jerry Jones' Cowboys.