No extension for Pickens please

[stilltheguru]

You mean like Mahomes in KC???

They've won before without a top 5 defense

 

[Flamma]

It's clearly a franchise tag for 2 years and then let him walk.

That just hurts the team. For some reason people think tags are better than extensions for the team. They are not. They are worse. They are only good to save the owner real dollars. But are horrible against the cap. Tagging Pickens just makes it harder to sign good defenders.

I don't care if Jerry gets ripped off. I'm just thinking of what is better for the team, not Jerry's wallet.

 

[Creeper]

Not his fault. He's a stud #1. But Dak can't have 2 of them on the team because he can't take advantage of both skill sets often enough.

The $ commitment went to Cee Dee.
Pickens with Lamb on the field is apparently invisible, & what happened vs Detroit is a red flag.

We should look to trade GP3 and recoup a pick.

Let's roll with Flournoy @ #2 in 2026. He has shown enough to warrant the promotion.

We need to prioritize this atrocious Defense if we are going to be a quality football team. A 2nd stud WR isn't the answer.

I think they need defense and they may have to sacrifice some offense to get it. Franchise Tag Pickens then trade him. If they can find 3 defensive players in the draft next year and maybe sign 1 good free agent, they can get away with an offense without Pickens, but they may need to draft a young WR to take Pickens place if necessary.

I think they need two things to get better. 1. Fix the OL. The tackles are a problem. 2. get a pass rush. 2 will only be resolved with a new DC that has a better plan than Eberflus.

 

[SuperBowlz]

Dude, I don't need to read that. I was talking about tag n' trade scenarios, not keeping him 2 years

I know exactly what you’re talking about. Again, once you tag him every team will walk away and let Dallas eat the 30 million dollar hit which they can’t afford via the cap. When was the last tag and trade of a FA in the NFL?

 

[SuperBowlz]

Ever here about restructuring deals? LOL

So you are saying “sign him”? I don’t get your point. The minute Dallas tags him EVERY team walks away and let’s Dallas eat a straight 30 million dollar cap hit because they know Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to do that.

 

[Ironicalicon]

No way Jerry lets him go.

 

[Robster8989]

He would be great to keep however we need the CAP for defense and OL depth.

There can be plenty of space to do both. Jerry just won't.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Has someone done a deep dive on why Pickens seems to have disappeared the past 2 games? I don't know how you don't throw it up down the sideline at least once or twice a game to let him make a play. The offensive play calling the past 2 weeks has been baffling.

 

[SuperBowlz]

If two or more teams are interested and there will be, they can do it no problem.

Not a chance. Once Dallas tags him every interested team in Pickens will walk and let Dallas eat the straight 30 million dollar hit because they know Dallas can’t afford that.

 

[SuperBowlz]

That just hurts the team. For some reason people think tags are better than extensions for the team. They are not. They are worse. They are only good to save the owner real dollars. But are horrible against the cap. Tagging Pickens just makes it harder to sign good defenders.

I don't care if Jerry gets ripped off. I'm just thinking of what is better for the team, not Jerry's wallet.

I don’t get why people don’t understand what you are saying because you are 100% right. Dallas has a lot of work to do to get under the cap… and they will get it done but it’s not happening with a direct 30 million dollar cap hit Pickens would cost if tagged.

 

[Redsfan_83]

Has someone done a deep dive on why Pickens seems to have disappeared the past 2 games? I don't know how you don't throw it up down the sideline at least once or twice a game to let him make a play. The offensive play calling the past 2 weeks has been baffling.

From what I have seen, there is no downfield play. Is it due to play-calling? Is it due to our OL not giving Dak time? The air of playing hard seems to have disappeared on both sides of the ball, and the teams we've played aren't the bottom dwellers

 

[atlantacowboy]

From what I have seen, there is no downfield play. Is it due to play-calling? Is it due to our OL not giving Dak time? The air of playing hard seems to have disappeared on both sides of the ball, and the teams we've played aren't the bottom dwellers

He's finding everyone else downfield. The problem with the team overall isn't on offense. The question here is why isn't Pickens seeing the ball.

 

[StarW]

So you are saying “sign him”? I don’t get your point. The minute Dallas tags him EVERY team walks away and let’s Dallas eat a straight 30 million dollar cap hit because they know Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to do that.

I think you're underestimating what teams let slide for elite-level talent (while they're still in their prime). I can think of quite a few examples over the years.

Pickens has 1212 yards with 3 games to go and is likely to get the Pro Bowl or even All-Pro nod with a strong finish to the season. That helps his cause.

But... We both know Jethro's probably going to sign Pickens long-term, even though Flournoy is flashing WE2 skills.

 

[dupree89]

That just hurts the team. For some reason people think tags are better than extensions for the team. They are not. They are worse. They are only good to save the owner real dollars. But are horrible against the cap. Tagging Pickens just makes it harder to sign good defenders.

I don't care if Jerry gets ripped off. I'm just thinking of what is better for the team, not Jerry's wallet.

I'm glad you explained that for me. I don't even try to learn this cap stuff. Excellent job by you, my friend. So it sounds like if we want to have spending money....sign him to a deal or let him walk and we get what? A 3rd rounder back?

 

[Robster8989]

Has someone done a deep dive on why Pickens seems to have disappeared the past 2 games? I don't know how you don't throw it up down the sideline at least once or twice a game to let him make a play. The offensive play calling the past 2 weeks has been baffling.

Personally I think it's a combination of things.
I'm not sure he wasn't injured on that early catch in the Lions game, so I don't think he was completely right, and that's not excusing his perceived laziness in that game.
2nd, I think Pickens has been huge with slants, and I noticed the Lions and Vikes taking that inside position away from him.
Lastly, the play calling has not adjusted to the defense adjusting to Pickens. We should run a double move and get him the ball outside. He's an amazing athlete, and we need to throw it up to him at least a couple times a game.
Overall I like Schotty, but I don't think he adjusts to adjustments well as a first year HC.

 

[StarW]

So you are saying “sign him”? I don’t get your point. The minute Dallas tags him EVERY team walks away and let’s Dallas eat a straight 30 million dollar cap hit because they know Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to do that.

The Dallas Cowboys can easily create 2026 salary cap space primarily through contract restructures (Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith) to convert salary to bonuses, spreading costs, plus potential cuts/trades (Trevon Diggs, Terence Steele, Zack Martin) and extensions (Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams) for key players, aiming to generate over $100 million by shifting big cap hits into the future, allowing for immediate spending and flexibility.
Here's a breakdown of their key strategies:
1. Contract Restructures (Most Impactful)

• Dak Prescott: A massive $74M cap hit in 2026 can be slashed by converting much of his salary to bonus, saving over $24M-$30M immediately, though pushing money forward.
• CeeDee Lamb: Restructuring his deal can free up around $18M-$19M, a popular move given his youth and importance.
• Tyler Smith: Similar to Lamb, restructuring his new extension offers significant immediate savings (around $17.5M).
• Other Potential Restructures: Osa Odighizuwa and Jake Ferguson also offer potential savings through restructures.

2. Potential Cuts/Trades

• Trevon Diggs: With $57M left on his non-guaranteed deal, cutting him could save $12M-$15.5M, creating cap relief and addressing potential team/player friction.
• Terence Steele: A potential cut candidate to save nearly $9M, though at the risk of weakening the offensive line.
• Zack Martin: Void years added to his deal are creating a significant future cap hit, which the team is managing but could involve future decisions.

3. Extensions & New Deals

• Kenny Clark & Quinnen Williams: Extending these defensive linemen could lower their 2026 cap hits and add future flexibility, saving $16M and $14M respectively.

By combining these methods, the Cowboys can navigate their projected deficit and create substantial room to operate in 2026, a common strategy for teams with high-priced stars. So, there you go.

 

[Robster8989]

This organization is at a crossroads.

On one side is doing things "the Jerry way", and why would those results be any different than the last 30 years?
His recent comment about the team underachieving seems to indicate the same ol same ol. Jerry blaming others and not taking personal responsibility.

Or Jerry can see that this team has many foundational pieces, and it just needs some additional players and it can compete for a SB.
The NFC (and the NFL) is wide open. Is there any team that really scares you? We have a chance.

We can easily open up over 100 mil in cap space, keep Pickens, Williams and fix the Oline, and still build a great Defense.

You're 83 years old Jerry, this is likely your last chance.
Do you want more of the last 30 years of futility?.
Or do you want to do everything in your power to be a champion?

 

[Cmac]

Fantasy Football moves have surfaced on this board again.

 

[Redsfan_83]

He's finding everyone else downfield. The problem with the team overall isn't on offense. The question here is why isn't Pickens seeing the ball.

There could be something going on, but we'll never find out if that's the case. I don't live in Texas, so not sure GP is speaking out about any of this. We know Dak needs 10 steamboats to read an entire field, and right now he's getting to 3 maybe

 

[baltcowboy]

The Detroit game was a bad look for Pickens and didn’t do him any favors. He didn’t show up when the Cowboys needed him most. That is telling. The problem is the Cowboys are limited with talent on both defense and offense. His agent has Jerry by the short hairs.