{"id":2025,"date":"2026-01-16T08:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T00:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/the-cowboys-free-options-start-with-george-pickens\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T20:11:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:11:58","slug":"the-cowboys-free-options-start-with-george-pickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/16\/the-cowboys-free-options-start-with-george-pickens\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cowboys&#8217; free options start with George Pickens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<ul class=\"authors\">\n<li class=\"mugshot-shown\">\n<div class=\"author-img\"><\/div>\n<p>Todd Archer<span class=\"timestamp \">Jan 15, 2026, 06:00 AM ET<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-overlay\">Shut up<\/p>\n<ul>Todd Archer is an NFL reporter for ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>FRISCO, Texas &#8212; Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones likes where the team can add quality players through the draft and free agency, which he traces back to a decision made early in the 2025 season.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The best thing we&#8217;ve been trying to do with the Micah Parsons trade is all in front of us,&#8221; Jones said at his end-of-season news conference.<\/p>\n<p>Away from the cameras, Jones hinted at the possibility of &#8220;breaking the budget&#8221; as he pursues his stated goal of becoming the owner of the most Super Bowl wins when he&#8217;s done. Jones is three points behind New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.<\/p>\n<p>Makes you think the Cowboys could do something in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>At this point, the image of the salary cap is more like a Monet painting: it&#8217;s not that simple, it depends on the perspective.<\/p>\n<p>What we do know is that the Cowboys will need to fill a void to get under the 2026 championship. All we know is how much. That will come in early March, when the title is set.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys have contracts worth about $330 million in cap room. Some NFL cap estimates are between $295 million and $305 million.<\/p>\n<p>So, consistently, the Cowboys will have to come up with $30 million just to get under the cap. If they land wide receiver on unrestricted free agent George Pickens, that&#8217;s another $28 million or so immediately.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-table float-r\">\n<h2 class=\"table-caption\">Cowboys&#8217; 2026 UFAs<\/h2>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" data-text-contract=\"-\" data-text-expand=\"+\" data-fix-cols=\"0\" data-behavior=\"responsive_table\" class=\"inline-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Pos Player<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>RB Miles Sanders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>RB Javonte Williams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>WR George Pickens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>WR Jalen Tolbert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>OL Hakeem Adeniji<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>OL Rob Jones<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>DE Jadeveon Clowney<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>DE Dante Fowler<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>DE Payton Turner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>DE Sam Williams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>LB Kenneth Murray<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>LB Jack Sanborn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>CB CJ Goodwin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>CB Corey Ballentine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>S Donovan Wilson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Fear not, because the Cowboys can create more than $100 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of QB Dak Prescott, WR CeeDee Lamb, G Tyler Smith, DT Osa Odighizuwa, CB DaRon Bland and TE Jake Ferguson if they lower their base salaries.<\/p>\n<p>But there is a caveat where at least two of those buildings are rebuilt.<\/p>\n<p>If they do a full restructuring on Prescott, that adds about $8 million to his cap figure from 2027 to 2031. His cap numbers in 2027 and 2028 will grow to over $75 million and $85 million, respectively. Perhaps it would be wise not to fully change Prescott&#8217;s $40 million base salary to lighten the load down the road.<\/p>\n<p>Then there&#8217;s Bland. He will be coming off second foot surgery in as many years. Do the Cowboys want to add to his future numbers if there are injury concerns? Bland&#8217;s fully guaranteed money expires after this season, giving the Cowboys an easy exit in 2027 if they don&#8217;t renegotiate his deal now.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the best plan is to hold off on renegotiating Bland&#8217;s contract for a rainy day, just in case something comes up later in free agency, the summer or at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n<p>But all of these contracts were designed in their early years to be restructured to give the Cowboys cap flexibility. By reworking the deals for Lamb and Smith, the Cowboys could make about $36 million in cap space.<\/p>\n<p>And if they want more cap space, they can sign defensive ends Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark to extensions. Clark is due an $11 million plan bonus on March 13, so there may be a pressing need for him, even though both are signed through 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Of the Cowboys&#8217; 15 free agents, three appear to be the most important to bring back: Pickens, running back Javonte Williams and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.<\/p>\n<p>All three say they want to return to the Cowboys, but all three have different circumstances.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline float-r inline-track\">\n<h2 class=\"img-title\">Best of NFL Nation<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/a.espncdn.com\/photo\/2026\/0115\/r1601060_576x324_16-9.jpg\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Inside Mike Tomlin&#8217;s final day as coach of the Steelers<br \/>\u2022 How Bears, Williams became an offensive juggernaut<br \/>\u2022 Mike Vrabel&#8217;s favorite story? We have them<br \/>\u2022 Next Generation Statistics: Stafford, Allen, more<br \/>\u2022 How players prepare for cold weather games<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Pickens could ask for money for a top receiver. Two years ago, the Cowboys paid Lamb a deal worth $34 million per year. Can they top that of Pickens, who had career highs in catches (93), yards (1,412) and touchdowns (eight) after being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason?<\/p>\n<p>That is why it is believed that the Cowboys will use the franchise tag on Pickens. And that could open up other scenarios, such as Pickens being available for the voluntary offseason and training camp. The Cowboys passed on Parsons during training camp last summer, and Pickens is with the same agency (Athletes First) as Parsons.<\/p>\n<p>The price of Clowney, who led the Cowboys with 8.5 sacks, has increased with the way he closed the season, as he enters his 13th year. He said he wants to be a part of the offseason program and training camp, so he&#8217;s more physically ready to play than he was when he joined the Cowboys in September. His value on the field is important to the non-power rush in 2025, and coach Brian Schottenheimer praised Clowney&#8217;s work off the field with young players like Donovan Ezeiruaku.<\/p>\n<p>Williams finished with 1,201 yards, the most by a Dallas running back since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019. But he makes $3 million in 2025 and could double that figure on a multi-year deal. The Cowboys can point to their last two 1,000-yard rushers &#8212; Williams and Rico Dowdle, a 2020 undrafted free agent &#8212; as proof a running back can be found anywhere.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys also have some decisions to make with their restricted free agents. Undrafted, All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey is likely to receive a second-round tender, which is expected to be just over $6 million. The Cowboys held talks with Aubrey&#8217;s agent, Todd France, about a multi-year deal last summer but nothing came close. Maybe those are resurrected in the offseason, which would make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL but with a cap number under $6 million in 2026.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-table float-r\">\n<h2 class=\"table-caption\">Cowboys&#8217; 2026 RFAs<\/h2>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" data-text-contract=\"-\" data-text-expand=\"+\" data-fix-cols=\"0\" data-behavior=\"responsive_table\" class=\"inline-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Pos Player<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>OL TJ Bass<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>OL Brock Hoffman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>S Juanyeh Thomas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>K Brandon Aubrey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Guard TJ Bass, also undrafted, started five games last season. If the Cowboys want to keep Smith on the left side, Bass has shown that he can handle the left guard position. Are the Cowboys looking to work out a short multi-year deal for Bass that pays him well enough to buy out his unrestricted free year in 2027? The Cowboys made similar deals with running back KaVontae Turpin and safety Markquese Bell last summer. Brock Hoffman, who has been an internal reserve for the past two years, is in the same boat.<\/p>\n<p>In a perfect world, the Cowboys would do all of that before free agency begins on March 11 because they will need to work and do more than just fill holes on defense.<\/p>\n<p>Defensive tackle is the only position suspended, with Williams, Clark, Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas. They need more linebackers, maybe more safeties and corners and edge rushers.<\/p>\n<p>From a cap perspective, the Cowboys will be in a position to do whatever they want to do in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>Will they choose to do what many fans want?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be heard [optimistic] &#8220;But if we have an opportunity in free agency, and if we have more than one opportunity, we&#8217;re going to take advantage of the fact that we&#8217;re in a better position today to play free agency than we thought we could be.&#8221; So we will use it. &#8220;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Todd ArcherJan 15, 2026, 06:00 AM ET Shut up Todd Archer is an NFL reporter for ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. FRISCO, Texas &#8212; Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones likes where the team can add &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2027,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025\/revisions\/2027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}