​As expected, the Dallas Cowboys and All-Pro wide receiver George Pickens remain without a contract extension as a deadline to get one done passed Wednesday.Pickens is now slated to play next season on the one-year, $27.3 million franchise tag that he signed in April, leaving his long-term outlook with the franchise uncertain.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPickens signed his franchise tag tender on April 29. Doing so left the door open for Pickens and the Cowboys to negotiate a long-term deal ahead of a July 15 deadline to get one done. That deadline has now passed.Play Yahoo’s new College Fantasy Football game: Create or join a league now!The lack of a deal is not unexpected. Executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters on April 22 that the Cowboys would not engage in negotiations for a contract extension with Pickens.”We’ve made a decision that we’re going to have George play under the franchise tag, which won’t be a first for us,” Jones said at the team’s pre-draft news conference. “So there won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal. But that’s certainly not a first for this organization and certainly won’t be a first for the league in terms of this decision as we move forward.”George Pickens will make more than four times the total of his four-year rookie contract on the franchise tag. But a long-term deal will have to wait.(Ian Maule via Getty Images)Pickens has participated in mandatory offseason workouts since signing the franchise tag, signaling that he intends to play on the $27.3 million deal next season. He’s given no indication that he plans to hold out from training camp.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”The tag and all that, it’s football first,” Pickens told reporters upon his arrival to mandatory minicamp in June. “So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year and then worry about. Well, let my agent worry about it, really.”Pickens, 25, joined the Cowboys last offseason via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since joining Pittsburgh as a second-round draft pick in 2022, Pickens has been one of the league’s most talented young receivers. But a series of on-field incidents in Pittsburgh appeared to add up to a breaking point for the Steelers, who traded him to the Cowboys for a relative pittance that featured third- and fifth-round draft picks ahead of the conclusion of his rookie contract.There were largely no such issues in Pickens’ first season in Dallas as he lived up to his potential en route to being named a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro for the first time. With All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb hampered most of the season by injuries, Pickens emerged as the No. 1 option for quarterback Dak Prescott en route to tallying 93 catches for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns on the final year of his rookie contract.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt wasn’t enough for the Cowboys to invest in Pickens long-term. They may want to see another year of on-field stability from him before consideri