New Cowboys Rumors Update George Pickens' Minicamp Status Amid Contract Buzz

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens arrived at the team facility Monday ahead of the start of mandatory minicamp, according to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.

Having signed the one-year, $27.3 million franchise tender, Pickens faces potential fines if he skips mandatory workouts such as minicamp or training camp.

The skilled pass-catcher could skip voluntary workouts as a way to show he isn't thrilled with his financial situation. By and large, carrying holdouts into the latter stages of the summer have become too expensive.

Some players have done a "hold-in" where they're present at minicamp or training camp but not a full participant. That could be an option here.

Pickens and the Cowboys still have until July 15 to negotiate a longer extension. Everything coming from the team's side has indicated that won't happen.

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said directly in April that "there won't be negotiations on a long-term deal." Nothing has changed on that front.

Pickens had a career year and led Dallas in the three major receiving categories in 2025. He finished with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. All of the promise he had shown with the Pittsburgh Steelers began materializing in a big way.

The Cowboys may prefer to see whether that breakout is real before they sign him to a big contract. They also have to weigh how much they want to spend on the receiver position when CeeDee Lamb earns an average of $34 million annually.

Getting Pickens in the building is obviously good in terms of having him ready for the start of the regular season. As long as he's only signed for one season, his contract status will linger as an ongoing concern.