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George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys
When it’s getting to be late March in the NFL and the free-agent frenzy of two weeks ago has slowed to a crawl, it’s only natural that small breadcrumbs of information can quickly transform into loaves. So it was on Tuesday when Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was in attendance at the University of Texas pro day with a month to go before the NFL draft. And while Schottenheimer–who’s been in and around coaching for more than two decades–chatted with most of the folks in attendance, there was one conversation that especially turned heads.
That was Schottenheimer having a talk with agent David Mulugheta, who represents star receiver George Pickens. It is well-known these days that Pickens is on the franchise tag with the Cowboys in 2026, a one-year, $27 million deal. It’s also known that Pickens would like a better, long-term contract from Dallas.
Schottenheimer will be the first to say that contract negotiations are above his pay grade, but still, any way to break the ice between the star player’s representative and the stonewallers who populate the Cowboys’ front offices will be welcomes at this point.
Cowboys’ Schottenheimer & George Pickens Agent at Texas Pro Day
Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News posted a photo of Schottenheimer with Mulugheta on social media and wrote, “Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and Athletes First agent David Mulugheta also shared an extended conversation today at Texas Pro Day. Mulugheta represents Longhorns LB Anthony Hill. Jr. He also represents Cowboys WR George Pickens, who is currently franchise tagged.”
It remains unknown at this point how the situation will develop with Pickens. From the Cowboys’ point of view, they gave him the one-year deal the collective bargaining agreement allows, and the team need not do anything further. But Pickens, after finishing third in the NFL with 1,429 yards receiving, wants a long-term deal and could hold out for one.
For a Cowboys offense trying to maintain the momentum the team established on that side of the ball last year, a hold out by Pickens would be unwelcome news. But the Cowboys have not, in recent years, moved quickly on signing stars to big, new contracts. The situation remains in a holding pattern, and could stay that way for months.
‘Always Going to Start With George Pickens’
Schottenheimer spoke to the Cowboys team site on Tuesday, and was enthusiastic about the team’s free-agent signings. He also, notably, included tagging George Pickens as part of the Cowboys’ successes this offseason. That makes sense–Schottenheimer is management, after all. But the Pickens free agency is still a work in progress.
Said Schottenheimer: “I think it starts with the guys we brought back first and foremost. I’m always going to start with George and Javonte Williams, guys like that that we’ve signed back on the offensive side of the ball. Getting a chance to get a guy like Rashan Gary, who I’ve had to compete against a lot, he’s just an incredible football player, has been from the time he was a senior in high school through Michigan.
“Jalen Thompson, I love his energy, we played them this year. Cobie Durant, there’s been just a ton of guys.”
Cowboys Can Draft for Talent, not Need
The net result, Schottenheimer added, is that the Cowboys can go into the draft without needing to focus on specific positions, though there’s little doubt that defense will be the priority.
The coach said: “I think we did a really good job of setting ourselves up to be able to draft natural and draft pure, which is what you want to do. You don’t want to have to be forced to reach for a player, that’s when you make mistakes.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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