Give credit to Dallas Cowboys beat writer Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He made the lengthy trip to the South Texas seashore, where star receiver George Pickens was hosting a youth camp, this week with the sole mission of asking Pickens a question: Would he attend the team’s mandatory minicamp at The Star, which opens on Tuesday?
Please do read the original Harris story here, but know that the answer is one that should at least inspire some confusion–and at most, dread–on the part of Cowboys fans. Because the best that Pickens could muster on the question of whether he will be at minicamp was an indecisive shrug before a PR person stepped in and shut down the interview.
So, if you thought that maybe the Cowboys were about to embark on a drama-free summer with Pickens having signed his franchise tag deal in April, perhaps you need to think again. At the very least, there will be a significant question between now and when minicamp opens on Tuesday about whether Pickens will be in place and ready to go.
George Pickens Looking Less Likely to Attend Cowboys Minicamp
Now, to be clear, Pickens did not directly say he will not be at Cowboys minicamp. But it would have been very easy to say, “Yes, of course I will be there,” and the fact that he did not say that indicates that he is professionally bothered by the fact that he did not get a long-term contract extension from the Cowboys when he hit free agency. He got a one-year franchise tag deal worth $27 million, and though the sides would have until July 15 to tear up that deal and sign a long-term deal, the Cowboys have made clear they’re not going to even talk about a long-term contract.
So Pickens’ only weapon is to withhold his services, which appears to be the tack now. Even during the Cowboys’ final stretch of OTAs this week (those are voluntary, and Pickens has not been present), coach Brian Schottenheimer and quarterback Dak Prescott were slippery when it came to addressing Pickens’ possible attendance–Schottenheimer went from saying he “expects” Pickens to attend to he “hopes” his star is there.
Holdout, Hold-In, Business as Usual? Possible Outcomes
There are probably three realistic ways this all plays out for George Pickens and the Cowboys:
- Pickens could show up on time on Tuesday, ready to put on his jersey and go through the minicamp as though nothing ever happened. It’s a longshot, but if you’re an optimist, this is the option for you.
- Pickens could show up but with no intention of participating, basically conducting the newly popular NFL “hold-in.” That allows Pickens to express his dissatisfaction with his contract but not get fined.
- Pickens could duck out altogether and not show up at camp. That would be an odd choice, because he would be subject to a fine of $108,000 if he misses all three days of minicamp. If that was his strategy, he could have just not signed the tag deal to begin with, which would mean he would not be susceptible to the fine.
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