Emmitt Smith Notes George Pickens' $27.3 Million OTA Absence
George Pickens missed the first week of Cowboys organized team activities after signing his franchise tag tender in late April, leaving emmitt smith fans with a sharper look at how quickly the wide receiver has moved from trade acquisition to a guaranteed $27.3 million season in 2026. The 25-year-old wideout has already sat out Phase I and Phase II of the offseason program, and the next checkpoint is June minicamp.
Pickens and the $27.3 Million Tender
Pickens signed his franchise tag tender during the last week of April and is guaranteed to earn $27.3 million in 2026. Dallas intends for him to play on that tag, and the team has made clear there will be no negotiations taking place. That leaves his offseason participation tied to the contract he already accepted, not to any new deal.
He also missed the first week's three Organized Team Activity workouts, adding to the time he has already spent away from the Cowboys' voluntary work in May. The Cowboys have three more OTAs scheduled for the following week, which gives Pickens another chance to join the field before the calendar turns to minicamp.
Dallas and Brian Schottenheimer
Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys' head coach and offensive coordinator, is handling a player who led the team in 2025 with 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions. Pickens also posted a 15.4-yard average per catch, numbers that made his first season with Dallas a high-output one after the Cowboys traded a third-round draft choice to the Steelers for him.
The wrinkle is that Dallas is not treating the tag as a bridge to a long-term extension. CeeDee Lamb's four-year deal, worth an average of $34 million a year with a $38 million signing bonus and $100 million of the $136 million package guaranteed, sits well above the path the Cowboys are taking with Pickens. The club wants more than one season of evidence before considering that kind of commitment.
June 16-18 Minicamp
Attendance at the June 16-18 minicamp is mandated by the CBA, and players under contract who do not take part are susceptible to fines. That makes minicamp the next hard deadline in Pickens' offseason, after a month in which he has already missed Phase I, Phase II and the opening week of OTAs.
Pickens has already been through one full season in Dallas and enters his second as the team's most productive receiver from 2025. If he shows up for minicamp, the Cowboys can move from a contract standoff to football work without changing the money tied to his tag.
