It has been no secret the Dallas Cowboys plan to use the franchise tag on receiver George Pickens. But that’s not the only free-agent decision they’ll need to figure out with the start of the league year less than a month away.
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones told the media Monday what has been widely assumed for weeks: The team plans to put the franchise tag on Pickens, and will finalize plans on that in the next week, via Judy Battista of NFL.com. That’s the easy part. The hard part will be figuring out a long-term solution with Pickens, or what the receiver will do if he’s stuck with the one-year tag worth about $28 million.
The situation that hasn’t gotten as much attention is with kicker Brandon Aubrey. Aubrey is a restricted free agent, but he might be a rare RFA who gets an offer on the open market. Aubrey has become one of the best kickers in the NFL and a weapon for the Cowboys because of his ability to hit kicks from 60 or more yards out.
The Cowboys cleared up one potential issue this past weekend, signing running back Javonte Williams to a three-year, $24 million extension.
The Cowboys have plenty of other decisions to make this offseason, but those two are the most pressing.
Cowboys continue talks with Brandon Aubrey
Jones said the Aubrey negotiation has been going on since before last season started.
“That’s been a journey, but we haven’t been able to get to a point where we all agree,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic.
The highest-paid kicker in the NFL is Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, who has a four-year, $25.6 million deal. Aubrey has been a brilliant find for the Cowboys, with one first-team All-Pro nod and two inclusions on the All-Pro second team in his three seasons. He has hit 88.2% of his field goals, which is impressive considering how often the Cowboys ask him to kick from long range. Aubrey has made 35 field goals from 50 yards or longer in his three seasons. He will presumably get more than Butker’s league-leading $6.4 million per season. It’s just a matter of the player and team figuring out a contract that should make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in league history. The Cowboys plan to use a first- or second-round tender on Aubrey, according to the Dallas Morning News, which means if the restricted free agent gets an offer sheet from another team the Cowboys can decide to match or get a high draft pick in return.
It’s good to have stellar players, but having to pay a kicker top dollar makes things even more challenging for the Cowboys.
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George Pickens very likely to get tagged
Pickens’ situation isn’t unusual. He had 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns for the Cowboys after they traded for him, putting himself in position for a big contract as a free agent. But the franchise tag allows the Cowboys to keep him from hitting the open market.
Like every other player who gets tagged, Pickens wants a long-term deal. Jones said the team wants that as well.
“We want Pickens here,” Jones said, via Machota. “We think the world of him. We want him here, love him, and I think he wants to be here.”
The Cowboys have remained steadfast with their stance on keeping Pickens in the fold. Jones told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein during the Senior Bowl in January that Pickens’ importance, combined with CeeDee Lamb’s skills, became magnified as the team interviewed defensive coordinator candidates to replace Mike Eberflus.
“Talking to these defensive guys we brought in, we were a pain for them,” Jones said. “They start talking about, ‘Oh my gosh, when we had to play you guys, that was a problem.’ They have to decide, ‘Hey, put your best cornerback on one and double the other,’ or do a lot of moving parts how they did it …
“[Candidates] said: ‘Your offense caused a lot of problems.’”
Jones would not put a timeframe on getting a long-term deal done with Pickens, and it will be complicated. (If tagged, the two sides have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal.) Pickens was traded by the Steelers due in part to maturity issues. The Cowboys are also paying a lot to Lamb, who is playing on a four-year, $136 million deal. It’s hard to pay two receivers deals that are both near the top of the market.
Talks between teams and agents often happen at the NFL’s scouting combine, which is taking place this week. The Cowboys have a lot to discuss.