The Dallas Cowboys have placed the franchise tag on George Pickens. Nevertheless, the wide receiver is participating in preseason training.

George Pickens showed up for the Dallas Cowboys’ minicamp on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, the 25-year-old said he isn’t looking to sign a long-term contract. Nevertheless, the wide receiver plans to attend training camp in July as well.

This wasn’t necessarily expected at first. That’s because Pickens had previously not participated in the voluntary portion of the Cowboys’ offseason training program. He told “The Athletic” that he did so on his agent’s advice.

Pickens: “What’s important to me is winning”

After his contract with Dallas expired, Pickens was designated as a franchise player and signed the involuntary one-year contract extension at the end of March, after Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ vice president, had made it clear in advance that the team would not negotiate a new long-term contract with the 25-year-old.

However, the wide receiver admitted on Tuesday that he isn’t disappointed about being designated as a franchise player or the failed contract extension.

His focus lies elsewhere: “What’s important to me is winning,” Pickens said. “As I’ve said from the start: I really want to bring a Super Bowl victory to a group of guys who’ve never experienced that feeling before. That’s really the most important thing to me.”

Here’s what Cowboys head coach Schottenheimer had to say

Pickens’ appearance didn’t surprise head coach Brian Schottenheimer: “I know what this team, this locker room, and what we’re building here mean to him. That’s why I’m not surprised to see him here, and I’m thrilled that he’s here.”

Nevertheless, the head coach makes it clear that while Pickens will participate in the walkthrough and individual drills, he won’t take part in team drills.

“He’ll participate in all the simulation drills and all the individual drills, and we’ll just keep him out of team practice so he can watch. Today, he’ll serve as Coach Pickens during the team session,” Schottenheimer said.

However, he added that Pickens is expected to be fully ready to play by the start of the Cowboys’ training camp in Oxnard, California.

Pickens to Have Best Season of His Career in 2025

Had he not signed the franchise tag, Pickens would not have been required to participate in either the minicamp or the preseason training camp in August. By accepting the tag, he faced a $90,000 fine just for failing to show up for the minicamp. The former Georgia Bulldog had skipped the voluntary workouts, including the OTAs.

Pickens had been traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Cowboys during the 2025 offseason, after spending the first three years of his NFL career with the Pennsylvania-based team. In his first season wearing the blue star on his helmet, he had the best season of his career playing alongside quarterback Dak Prescott.

The 52nd overall pick in the 2022 draft caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. These were all career highs for Pickens, who had already broken the 1,000-receiving-yard barrier (1,140) back in 2023.

Dallas in Salary Cap Hell
Despite his strong stats, the five-time Super Bowl champions decided against offering Pickens a long-term contract after his rookie deal expired—likely to avoid further straining the team’s already tight salary cap situation.

While Dallas must pay Pickens $27.3 million for the upcoming season, it has no further obligations to the receiver beyond that. This is a significant factor, as Prescott and CeeDee Lamb alone will tie up approximately $122 million of the salary cap in 2027.