Jones Signals Long-Term Deal For Both Cowboys Receivers Unlikely
Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said keeping both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens under top-market contracts long-term will be difficult for Dallas, cautioning that the current arrangement may not last beyond this season. Jones made the comments Tuesday on the DLLS Cowboys podcast when asked about Pickens' future with the team.
"I don't know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market [money], so that's going to be a really difficult situation as we move forward," Jones said. "We've managed to figure out how we can do it for this year. If everything works out the way we think it is, [in] which CeeDee and George both have huge years again, then it'll be a bigger challenge next year." sports bet netball
Pickens, acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 2025 season, broke out with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns last year, all career highs and team-leading marks that earned him his first Pro Bowl selection. Dallas placed the franchise tag on him in February, worth $27.3 million. Lamb, a 2023 All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, is playing on a four-year, $136 million extension signed in August 2024; he totaled 75 receptions for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games last season after missing three with an ankle injury. Over his career from 2021 to 2025, Lamb has averaged 99.4 catches, 1,296.2 yards and 7.2 touchdowns per season.
The wide receiver market has continued to climb. Jaxon Smith-Njigba became the NFL's highest-paid receiver this offseason with a four-year, $168.6 million extension from the Seattle Seahawks, averaging $42.2 million annually. Other teams have committed heavily to two top receivers: the Cincinnati Bengals pay roughly $69.1 million combined to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, while the Detroit Lions pay about $56.7 million combined to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Dallas' combined figure for Lamb and Pickens this season is $61.3 million.
Jones acknowledged the pressure a second strong season from Pickens would create. "George is really wanting to put back-to-back years on top of one another, so it'll help his market," he said. "And certainly, I know at some point, as does every player in this league, he'll want to be rewarded with a long-term contract. So that certainly puts pressure on us to have a unique situation there at wide receiver." Dallas opens its 2026 regular season on the road against the New York Giants on Sept. 13.
