OK with franchise tag, George Pickens at Cowboys minicamp - ESPN

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens said he is prepared to play the 2026 season on the franchise tag.

«Like the tag and all that, it's just football first,» Pickens said after the first day of mandatory minicamp. «So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about [the contract]… Well, let my agent worry about it really.»

Pickens did not participate in the voluntary part of the Cowboys' offseason program but never thought about skipping the minicamp as a way to kick-start negotiations on a long-term deal.

Before the draft, the Cowboys announced they would not negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens and soon thereafter he signed the $27.3 million franchise tag. Before signing the tender, owner and general manager Jerry Jones and coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke with Pickens about the club's decision.

Pickens said he did not ask Jones why they wanted to wait, nor was he disappointed in not having talks that could have made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. He said it was «super important» to have that conversation.

«Just definitely as a person, as anybody, I would want you to tell your kids or friends exactly what you're going to do,» Pickens said.

Schottenheimer never doubted the star receiver would show up for minicamp.

«I think No. 1, what he feels about his brothers in the locker room, the guys he cares about, Dak [Prescott] and CeeDee [Lamb] and Quinnen [Williams] and Kenny Clark and guys like that. That's the first part,» Schottenheimer said. «As you guys know, [the] OTAs and offseason program is voluntary. This is the one part of it that's mandatory. He's not the only player that hasn't been at camps around the league. It just shows his