Well, he is there. For all the chatter and speculation about whether Dallas Cowboys star receiver George Pickens would show up for minicamp at The Star this week, some of which was created by himself, the drama ended quickly on Monday morning when veteran Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill of DLLS Sports broke the news that Pickens was planning to attend the team’s mandatory minicamp this week at The Star after having missed this month’s OTA workouts, which were voluntary.
Not only was Pickens, who is unhappy about having been given the franchise tag by the Cowboys, on the premises in time for Tuesday’s opening, he was there on Monday, according to a report from Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News, who noted he had a physical, too.
Wrote Hoyt on Twitter/X: “Cowboys WR George Pickens arrived at the team facility for his physical this morning and he’s expected to be in attendance for the rest of minicamp, according to a person familiar with his thinking.”
And Nick Harris, Cowboys beat writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, confirmed as well: “Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens reported to the team facility on Monday, as he avoids holding out from the team’s mandatory minicamp that begins on Tuesday. Pickens arrived and took part in his offseason physical in his first appearance at The Star since the season ended.”
Cowboys Drama Averted
That is now one piece of potential drama removed from the Cowboys’ checklist as this spring turns into the summer. Pickens had a brilliant 2025, of course, going for 1,426 yards on 93 catches, by far his best career season and making the Cowboys look especially shrewd for having traded him for a third-round pick a year ago.
But part of the reason the Steelers were looking to move on from Pickens was that they did not want to pay Pickens, who hit free agency this winter. Even with the production they got from Pickens, the Cowboys did not want to pay him, either, at least not with a long-term deal. So, they foisted the franchise tag deal (one year, $27 million) on him and vowed no further negotiations on a deal.
Pickens was not happy about that and boycotted the voluntary OTAs, but he would have been facing a fine of more than $100,000 if he had missed minicamp.
George Pickens, Teammates ‘Understand the Plan’
That drama is done with, though, and we can presume it also means that Pickens will be on hand for Cowboys training camp next month in Oxnard.
Former Cowboys receiver Jesse Holley, a colleague of Hill’s at DLLS Cowboys, said Pickens likely would have been fine if he had not gone to minicamp, but his presence signals a strong focus by the team with camp around the corner.
Said Holley: “There’s nothing that he can learn in the next three days in this offense that he does not already know or that won’t be adjust to his favor when you get to training camp. It’s just nice to eliminate the noise about where he’s at—is he gonna be there, is he not going to be there—and then to have all of these guys together, so that you can say, ‘All right, we’re here and we all understand the plan going forward.’”
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