If you ask Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, re-signing wide receiver George Pickens is a must.
It’s understandable why Prescott feels that way. Pickens is coming off a career-best season and having him on the roster makes Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense better.
Prescott has exerted a little pressure on the Cowboys to get something done with Pickens, with the Cowboys signal-caller saying keeping Pickens is “vital” and a contract extension “must be done.”
“I think it’s vital. I think it must be done,” Prescott said, according to Tommy Yarrish of the team’s official website. “I think obviously from Jerry to everybody down understands that, and one the impact on this offense and the team and the great player that he is, we’ve got to find a way to keep him here.”
It’s easy to see from Prescott’s perspective why it’s a no-brainer to re-sign Pickens, but a lot goes into this.
For starters, the Cowboys are already paying big money to CeeDee Lamb and having a large chunk of the salary cap taken up by two wide receivers isn’t exactly an ideal approach, especially when you consider how much work Dallas’ defense needs.
Then there’s the concern about Pickens drifting back into his problem child form, something we saw a little bit in Dallas and a lot of in Pittsburgh. The chances of Pickens reverting back to that guy will only increase once he gets paid.
Jerry Jones has made it quite clear he wants to keep Pickens, and the veteran wideout has said the feeling is mutual.
But we’ve maintained all along here that the Cowboys should not make a long-term commitment to Pickens because of how badly it could blow up in their face.
Instead, Dallas should just tag and trade Pickens, this way they get something for him before he leaves and they avoid all the risk involved with extending him.
