Comparing Pickens' situation to Parsons' in 2025
Mike Florio and Chris Simms look at George Pickens' contract situation with the Dallas Cowboys and draw comparisons to how things ended up with Micah Parsons last season.
Video Transcript
Well, the, the other part of this puzzle, or piece of this puzzle, all that's fine and dandy.
Yes, we want players.
Yeah, we're gonna spend and all that, but what I would also say here in this situation, and this is sometimes where the Cowboys get themselves in trouble a little bit, is you, you gotta figure out the George Pickens thing first.
We gotta figure that out first.
Yeah, you can save all the money you want.
"Oh, we got him as a franchise here."
I mean, you and I, if I had to bet money, and I think you would be the same way, George Pickens ain't playing on the franchise tag this year.
I He, he doesn't seem like that kind of guy.
He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that's gonna be, "Ah, yeah, I'll let you I'll gamble my whole career and life on this this year for you, Mr. Jones, no problem."
Yeah, I, I don't see that happening.
So they need to get that done to figure out what they can spend.
Or they gotta be careful about what they spend because they're gonna look at it and go, "Wait, we might have to pay George Pickens that."
And that's to me the biggest thing We didn't get to hit on it la- a lot last week, but that's what we're gonna have our eyes on.
I mean, we just saw them totally just absolutely destroy a situation with the guy they franchised last year in Micah Parsons.
I mean, destroyed it.
They went about it in a horrible way.
They didn't franchise him.
I mean, not, not- They didn't franchise him you're right.
Right.
Sorry.
It's his fifth-year option.
Fifth-year option.
Sorry.
Sorry.
But either way, not too different in, in the scenario what we're talking about.
Well, there is a difference.
There's a big difference.
Here's the difference.
Okay.
Micah Parsons' ultimate endgame that got him the trade, it won't work for Pickens, because after July 15- Yes he can't sign a long-term contract.
Right.
Yes.
With anyone.
That's a different thing, yes.
If he's traded by the Cowboys- Right late August, like Micah Parsons was, whoever gets him steps into Dallas' shoes with a 27 Now, they could pay him more money, like if he doesn't show up.
Yes.
If he doesn't show up and July 15 comes and goes, the one thing that they can do is alter the terms of the one-year contract.
Right.
Albert Haynesworth had something added in that the Titans wouldn't tag him again if he did XYZ.
Lance Briggs had a term like that.
We saw Sa- Saquon Barkley get more.
I think Josh Jacobs.
Right.
Right.
People sprinkle the top.
Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley.
Right.
They got Yeah, you get a little more money on top of it.
That's happened.
But that's all a team can do.
So are you gonna give up a first-round pick plus for a guy that you're gonna pay 32, 33, 35 million in cash to this year with no commitment beyond 2026?
It makes it harder.
The Packers were able to negotiate the long-term deal- Yes.
Right as they did the trade.
So that's The, the Micah approach isn't gonna work here.
George Pickens needs to have a plan that activates quickly and that resolves by July 15 when the deadline arrives for doing- Yeah a long-term deal.
He's gotta do everything Micah did- That's what changes it.
The action started- three months quicker.
Yeah.
Right.
The act- Exactly.
The action started for Parsons after July 15.
For Pickens, it's all gotta be done before July 15.
Yeah.
Well, Pickens I mean, P- Micah Parsons tried to be the good team player.
He tried to be good to the Cowboys.
He tried to be good to Jerry Jones.
He tried to meet him without his agent, even aga- even though it was against the league rules.
He did all of that.
He tried to make it work, then he had to go scorched earth.
Yes, that's what I'm But, but my bottom line is that, yeah, we're, we're in a spot here where we're gonna be talking about that, and that's gonna be hovering over them, but it's just gotta come to a head before July 15th.
And George Pickens might go scorched earth and go, "Wait, wait, wait, wait.
I'm not, I'm not coming around to OTAs.
I'm not doing any of that.
I want my money."
And then even if nothing happens and he's franchised, I just You're gonna get a disgun- disgruntled George Pickens going into the season.
And yes, would he want more money sprinkled on top of what the franchise number is?
Because, yes, he's gonna think that he deserves something around 40, north of $40 million a year, and that's not where the wi- wide receiver franchise number is right now.
So that, that's where I'm interested to see what happens with Dallas in this whole situation.
And of course, that dictates a lot of what they can and can't spend in free agency as we go forward here.
