OXNARD, Calif. — At this time last year, the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp in Southern California wasn’t about football.

Sure, there was a first-year head coach implementing his style of football over the course of a dozen-plus practices and there was a lot happening there, but it was completely overshadowed by the contractual hold-in of Micah Parsons. We all know how that ended.

Fans and outside voices expected things to follow the same track in 2026, but this time with George Pickens. After being franchise-tagged ahead of the draft and being told that a long-term contract would not come for him this offseason, a runway for yet another contentious contract situation seemed to be laying itself out.

However, what has played out has been the exact opposite.

Pickens arrived a day early for mandatory minicamp last month. He was on the plane that departed DFW Airport last Monday, and he is fully participating in training camp practices. Off the field, he’s even drawn praise from the coaching staff for his professionalism.

“George Pickens today, he was as dialed-in in meetings that I’ve seen since he’s been here,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said on Thursday. “Just following along, questions. I think you’re going to see a very motivated George Pickens this year. That’s good news for us and bad news for the rest of the league.”

His quarterback echoed the same thought.

“I’ve seen it,” Dak Prescott said. “I watch him take notes, talk to young guys and be as locked in as I’ve ever seen. It’s already showing out there on the field. It’s impressive. He knows what this year is for him individually. He knows what this year means to the team. He wants to contribute. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve been around.”

Going back to Pickens’ time in Pittsburgh, he was always talked about as a good teammate, but run-ins with his coaching staff soured his tenure with the Steelers.

“I feel like the collective, really, brought my mentality [along],” Pickens said. “When we all came in, we all talked, we were already having that nuance of wanting to be better. We want to be better than anybody else. Detail is a component that is more important than anything.”

Pickens deserves credit

In an era where players fight tooth-and-nail for every dollar in their gargantuan salaries either through the media or on social media posts, Pickens has been a welcoming outlier for the Cowboys this offseason.

It made sense why a lot of people — including myself — expected Pickens to create drama either ahead of training camp or during the team’s stay in Oxnard. And yes, there is still a lot of time left before the team returns to Frisco, but I think it’s safe to say that Pickens understands his situation and has made the decision to take it in full stride this season.

For a player that caught so much heat for his lack of maturity during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a nasty, public contractual dispute would have thought to be well within the range of possibilities entering this offseason. But instead, all we have seen is how far Pickens has come as a professional.

If the Cowboys turn in yet another successful offensive campaign behind the duo of Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, it will have a lot to do with how Pickens handled this situation. Instead of fighting the certainty of not getting a long-term deal this offseason, Pickens chose to respect the front office’s decision, has not publicly made errant comments against them and is participating in practices as if he does have his long-term future secured.

I think both sides handled this situation incredibly well. For the Cowboys, they need to see more. At the end of the day, Pickens has turned in just one season for the franchise, and it came with some poor context about how things went at his previous stop. Another year of needing to see proven production — on and off the field — is warranted. For Pickens, he accepted it and has been the consummate pro about it when he honestly would have the bounds to raise a bit more of a stink.

“He’s a valued part of our aspirations and our potential success,” owner Jerry Jones said on Tuesday. “The combination that he has with the other talent on the team, I think, will make you feel pretty positive about what we have a chance to do. The way we have worked this out is the way it fit. I’m proud that he will work it that way. I hope that he comes out here and is the most prolific, successful receiver in the NFL this year. How would you like to be a free agent with his credentials and have a year like that? If that happens, then it’s a good year for us.”

It’s been a drama-free offseason this year for the Cowboys. Yes, the front office deserves some credit for that. But ultimately, they can all thank George Pickens for the team’s time in Southern California so far being about literally anything other than him.

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