Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are in for another shocking turn of events as the drama around George Pickens‘ future continues heading into the 2026 NFL season. The Cowboys have utilized their franchise tag on the wide receiver, but the latter has yet to sign the tender. Until he does so, Dallas will remain in the dark about the future of its WR2.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Pickens’ agent, David Mulugheta, gave Jones and the Cowboys his word (via email) that Pickens would put pen to paper on the franchise tag tender. However, a week has passed, and the wideout has yet to come forward with his signature, as Todd Archer reported.
Pickens could come out at any hour and finally sign the tender, but with every grain of sand that falls through the hourglass, trade rumors around him only grow stronger and louder across the NFL. Moreover, the fact Marquez Valdes-Scantling is joining the Cowboys’ WR depth chart may signal that trading Pickens is plausible.
Cowboys can’t do much about it
Pickens is still making up his mind and seems to be taking his sweet time. Knowing his agent, Mulugheta, Jones should have known not to expect anything different. “If [Pickens] worked without an agent, he’d save a lot of money with me,” Jones said back in March.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
As the standoff continues heading into May, Jones should have added that Pickens would have saved him and America’s Team a lot of time by going solo. Now, the two sides are holding their ground. Even if there was a verbal agreement, words are like the wind blowing through the Chihuahuan Desert.
Neither side is going to give an inch, and both are ready to play the long game. Fans may not, though, and all the drama may only be setting up the Cowboys for failure in the 2026 NFL season.
Could the Cowboys trade Pickens?
Even if the Cowboys gave up on Pickens and opted to trade him away, they would need Pickens to sign his franchise tag tender first. Still, Fowler reports Dallas is not even considering going down that route yet.
Of course, anything can happen, but it seems a very high chance of shipping Pickens away flew out the window the moment the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft ended. The Cowboys came away with one of the best talents in the entire class as they drafted Caleb Downs, and they didn’t have to give up their elite wide receiver to do so, so they may not have much reason to do so now.
Relationship between Jones and Pickens’ agent
Jones, the Cowboys, and Mulugheta have been through a lot. The agent also represents Micah Parsons, so it’s easy to see where the root of this conflict is. Some may see that chapter as water under the bridge; clearly, those people don’t know Jones or Mulugheta.
As if the situation around Pickens wasn’t hard enough, Jones and the Cowboys could be set for another heated negotiation with DeMarvion Overshown. Entering a contract year in Dallas, the 25-year-old linebacker hired Mulugheta as his agent. If America’s Team is interested in re-signing the product out of Texas, expect those contract talks to be complicated as well.
Mulugheta has grown to become a thorn in Jones’ side, and it seems he is everywhere the Cowboys are interested in doing business. Knowing Mulugheta is behind Pickens, it should be no surprise to Jones and company that the wideout is taking his time before holding up to his end of the bargain.
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