What was supposed to be a Dallas Cowboys pre-draft press conference quickly became a George Pickens-focused presser when Stephen Jones announced a shocking decision on the team’s star wide receiver.

They’re not even holding negotiations with him ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

Stephen Jones reveals negotiations with Pickens are done for the year

The Cowboys used the franchise tag on Pickens earlier in the year, which was seen by many as a placeholder that could potentially turn into a long-term contract if negotiations went well.

It turns out, there won’t even be a negotiation.

“We made a decision that we’re going to have George play under the franchise tag, which won’t be a first for us,” Jones told reporters. “So there won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal.”

Jones added the Cowboys have let Pickens and his representatives know.

The shocking part isn’t Pickens ultimately playing under the tag. Fans and media members alike knew all along that was a strong possibility the moment the Cowboys tagged Pickens.

But to not even hold negotiations is a surprise and questionable approach.

Jones cited the Cowboys’ comfort with having stars play under the tag like they had quarterback Dak Prescott do in 2020.

Why are the Cowboys avoiding negotiations?

Not getting on the same page as Pickens’ agent David Mulugheta was expected. But why go as far to shutting down negotiations this early on? Unsurprisingly, it’s mostly financial.

“It’s not easy having two receivers being paid at the top of the market,” Jones explained. “Especially when you have other great players on the team, a quarterback that’s been here being the highest-paid player in this league for many years now.”

Jones added the Cowboys like what Pickens has done and negotiations could pick back up in 2027.

NFL Draft implications

The huge Pickens announcement carries significant NFL Draft implications. In the lead up to Thursday’s first round, there’s been a lot of buzz about the Cowboys potentially looking at wide receiver at No. 12 overall in a wipe out scenario.

The lack of a long-term future with Pickens already made it make sense. The lack of willingness to negotiate a deal only adds fuel to the fire. There’s a reason why they’re shutting down talks like this, and it’s likely that they were miles apart on initial numbers.

Suddenly, picking WR Jordyn Tyson makes more sense than it did yesterday.

It was quite the announcement to make one day before the draft. We’ll see if Round 1 takes things to another level.