Jerry Jones Drops Major Hint About George Pickens’ Future With Cowboys
George Pickens has emerged as a vital asset for the Dallas Cowboys in his first season with the team, as he had a breakout game in week four on Sunday night. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave some insight on Pickens’ future with the team during an interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
“I’m proud to tell you that we’ve got some outstanding structure in our cap space that will allow us to do a lot of things that I didn’t think when we finished this time last year that we might have the room to do some of these things we’re talking about doing,” Jones said. “We paid a price for it, we had to not sign some players that our fans might have thought ought to be signed. On the other hand, we can do it now
This statement came after the hosts asked Jones about whether Pickens had a contract extension in his future. Jones strayed away from directly talking about Pickens’ potential contract, but this nugget does imply that Jones will be looking to spend big money next offseason. He discussed his admiration for Pickens as well:
“He’s an exemplary teammate, he’s exemplary in his work preparation and you can see the results of that out there on Sundays… he has different contortions as he’s catching the ball. He can just catch the ball in any set of circumstances,” Jones said.
So, although he didn’t confirm or deny that Pickens may have a big pay day coming in his future, these two tidbits combined are a good sign that Jones would be more than willing to shell out money for him come the end of the season.
Pickens No. 1 Receiver In Dallas With Lamb Sidelined
Ceedee Lamb suffered a high-ankle sprain in week two that will see him continue to miss time moving forward, giving Pickens ample opportunity to prove himself to the Cowboys as their WR1. He was outstanding in Dallas’ tie against Green Bay on Sunday night, catching eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Pickens was acquired by Dallas from Pittsburgh in a trade over the offseason that sent two draft picks to the steel city.
The 24-year-old is playing on the final year of his rookie contract, meaning he will be a free agent in the offseason, certainly due a big amount of money.
Freed Up Cap Space From Micah Parsons Trade
Obviously, the “structure in the cap space” that Jones was talking about refers largely to Micah Parsons, who signed a $186 million contract with Green Bay. If Dallas had kept him, they would’ve had to pay him a similar amount, meaning cap space would not be readily available for Pickens, who will certainly command a healthy sum of money this offseason.
Dallas currently has over $32 million in cap space, second most in the NFL. If Pickens keeps performing like he has been, even when CeeDee Lamb is back in the lineup, it would be borderline malpractice for Jones not to spend the money to keep him around.
Former Broncos Coach Offers Polarizing QB Comparison for Bo Nix
The Denver Broncos will hit the road in Week 5 to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and one of their coaches dropped a noteworthy take on second-year quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix was the No. 12 overall pick of the 2024 draft, and he had a record-setting season with the Broncos as a rookie.
But Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sees shades of another QB in Nix.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio Compares Bo Nix to Baker Mayfield
Fangio helped the Eagles boast the No. 1 overall defense and the second-ranked scoring unit in 2024 en route to the Super Bowl. This season, Fangio’s Eagles are 22nd and 15th in those categories, respectively, but remain a threat that Nix and the Broncos cannot overlook.
They certainly are not overlooking Nix.
“He’s a lot like Baker Mayfield. I think he might be Baker’s younger brother. Really good. Really, really good,” Fangio told reporters on September 30.
“He’s a scrambler. He’s a competitor. He’ll throw the ball in tight places. He runs their offense really well. I think Sean’s done a great job bringing him along, and they got their quarterback for the future. They looked long and hard for many years and have got one.”
The Broncos need Nix to avoid the type of mistakes Mayfield endured against the Eagles.
The comparison is noteworthy, given Mayfield rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back from a multiple-score deficit against the Eagles in Week 4. The Buccaneers fell short, losing to the Eagles 31-25, but Mayfield clearly left a strong impression on Fangio.
Mayfield, 30, completed 55% of his passes for 289 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in that game.
The Broncos surely hope for a more efficient performance from Nix in Week 5.
Baker Mayfield a Polarizing Comparison for Bo Nix
Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft by the Cleveland Browns, 11 slots earlier than the Broncos selected Nix seven classes later. The Buccaneers’ QB was more productive than Nix as a passer in their respective rookie seasons, and in three fewer games.
However, Nix had the edge in rushing production and winning percentage.
Where the comparison gets most interesting, though, is in how Mayfield’s career went after that and how the Broncos hope to avoid a similar fate with Nix, who also has had critical turnovers.
Mayfield is in his third season with the Buccaneers, but they are his fourth NFL team. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams between tenures with the Browns and, now, the Buccaneers.
Broncos Can Get Payback Against Vic Fangio
Fangio is now in his second season with the Eagles and 25th season as an NFL coach, and he spent three of those in the big chair with the Broncos. After the Broncos, Fangio joined the Miami Dolphins as DC.
It was there that Fangio was part of a lopsided, 70-20 Broncos loss in 2023.
The Broncos still have Vance Joseph in place as DC, just as they did in 2023, and they ranked third in scoring defense and seventh overall last season while leading the NFL in sacks.
Denver leads the NFL in sacks again, with 15 through four weeks. The Broncos also rank second in scoring defense and are 10th overall. Of course, Nix and the Broncos’ offense (ninth overall and 16th in scoring) must also do their job.
A complete reversal of the previous outcome is as unlikely as a repeat performance.
Still, the Broncos can exact some revenge against Fangio, however minor, and despite facing the Eagles and not the Dolphins, with a win in Week 5.
