DALLAS — Michael Irvin put the 2026 Dallas Cowboys’ ceiling at the Super Bowl and credited George Pickens for the change he sees in the roster. Irvin made the assessment on the Bleav in Cowboys podcast with hosts Jesse Holley and Ro Parrish.
Talent has never been the shortage in Dallas, according to Irvin. The Cowboys lack a group united in their goals.
“The ceiling is the Super Bowl,” Irvin said. “The ceiling is what they finally, I believe, get to realize. And I believe an outsider gave this to us. That outsider is George Pickens.”
“We’ve had great talent on this team, but it has to be something greater than just talent,” Irvin continued. “It has to be a connected care where everybody has a deep care about it, and it means more to them than anything. And George Pickens signing and being here right now, it’s the first time we have everybody in camp and focused on winning football.”
Michael Irvin on the Cowboys and George Pickens
Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first season in Dallas after arriving from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a May 2025 trade. He finished third in the NFL in receiving yards. The season produced his first Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro selection.
Irvin said the Cowboys aren’t focusing on negotiations this camp, referencing the name the offense gave itself over the summer.
“Now we get these things coming out, GOTI, the Greatest Offense There Is,” Irvin explained. “That means now they got time to focus on what they want to be doing in the season instead of focusing on what the contract we’re working on, what we’re trying to get done. That’s George Pickens.”
Dak Prescott coined the acronym while throwing to the Cowboys’ skill players in Park City, Utah, before training camp opened. Dallas ranked seventh in scoring offense and second in total offense in Brian Schottenheimer’s first season as Cowboys head coach. The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for a second straight year.
Pickens has 267 receptions for 4,270 yards and 21 touchdowns in four NFL seasons, with a career average of 16.0 yards per catch, leading the 2022 receiver class. He was a second-round pick, 52nd overall, out of Georgia.
George Pickens’ Contract Situation
Pickens is playing the season on the franchise tag, worth $27.298 million, fully guaranteed. The deadline for tagged players to sign long-term extensions has already passed, so Dallas and Pickens cannot agree to a new contract until after the regular season ends in January 2027.
Three weeks ago, the Cowboys extended defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9 million deal through 2030 with $101 million in guarantees. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said keeping Pickens beyond 2026 remains the goal.
“We could have still been in this situation this year,” Irvin said. “George Pickens said, no, man, I love this team too much. I love what we’re doing right now too much. I’m just going to focus on this, and all of that will come.”
Pickens was the only first-time selection among the five Cowboys named to the Pro Bowl last season, a group that also included Prescott, guard Tyler Smith, kicker Brandon Aubrey, and Williams.
Dallas set its initial 53-man roster on Sunday with 24 players on offense, 26 on defense, and 3 specialists.
The Cowboys begin the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
