The Joey Porter Jr. trade could eventually work to the benefit of George Pickens. Or, thanks to Pickens, to the advantage of Porter.
The Cowboys tagged Pickens in 2026, at a franchise tender of $27.298 million. With the market at the position now north of $42 million, that’s a great bargain for Dallas. It’s so good that they could tag him again in 2027, at $32.758 million.
They also could tag cornerback Joey Porter Jr., at a number that will be far below the top of the market at the position.
But here’s the catch. They can’t tag both. Every team has one — and only one — to use per year.
For the Cowboys, that means choosing one or the other. Which will create potentially compelling negotiations, with the Cowboys possibly working hard to get one signed so that the other can be tagged.
For the players, who are allowed to collude, one potential strategy would be to take the position that they won’t negotiate until the tag deadline comes and goes. That will likely result in one being tagged, and the other having a straight shot at the open market.
It gives the players an element of power over the situation. They can prevent the Cowboys from keeping both or, at a minimum, they can force the Cowboys to compete with other interested teams as to one of them.
Presumably, the Cowboys have a plan. (Then again, they didn’t have a plan with seven seconds left against the Ravens.) It could be as simple as using the inevitability of one of them becoming a free agent to get the most out of both of them. Then, after the season, they’ll decide which one to tag.
And if/when one of them leaves, they’ll be in line for a third-round compensatory pick in 2028. Which will either replace the third-round pick they sent to Pittsburgh for Pickens, or offset the 2028 second-round pick that they’ll be giving up for Porter.