Flying high but under radar, WR Pickens with team as Cowboys head west

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The last bastions of disdain and disbelief have nothing left to hold on to. At this point, the number of people who still believed placing the franchise tag on George Pickens would result in a mushroom cloud has to be nearing zero.

The last holdouts were dealt the finishing blow when Pickens was onboard the team plane on Monday as the Dallas Cowboys left Texas, going back to Cali for the beginning of training camp. Pun intended on the term holdout, as that was what many who cover or follow the Cowboys thought would be the result of the team using the tag on Pickens.

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The soon-to-be fifth-year receiver was traded to Dallas prior to last season and had a career campaign, with nearly 1,400 receiving yards and nine scores on the way to a Second-Team All-Pro nod. Heading into free agency, Pickens acquitted himself well and earned a huge payday.

That came in the form of just a one-year tender, though. And while $27.3 million is a fever dream for most, star wideouts with numbers like Pickens normally get long-term deals with big guarantees. Instead, due to an earned reputation of being distracted and a distraction, Pickens will have to prove himself a second time before getting the opportunity for such wealth security.

In his best interest, and according to those who have gotten to know him over the past season-plus, Pickens has kept his disruptions to a minimum since joining Dallas. Recently, NFL Network's Jane Slater said the only instance he ran afoul of the team is the Las Vegas trip where he and CeeDee Lamb were benched to begin the subsequent game for violating curfew rules.

Another quietly superb campaign will either lead to a monumental second tag tender, or that new, multiyear deal. It could result in both, and there might even be a trade sandwiched in between those two things. But any positive outlook that Pickens is dedicated to realizing, requires him to fly well under the radar.

And to do that, well, Pickens was 100% going to fly well within the confines of the team's charter.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Flying high but under radar, WR Pickens with team as Cowboys head west

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