With the Dallas Cowboys starting their voluntary workouts, the focus is once again on George Pickens, who has been the biggest talking point out of Arlington. The star wideout has been involved in contract negotiations with Jerry Jones, which ultimately hit a roadblock as no resolution was found. While he signed the franchise tag tender that keeps him in Dallas for a year, contract extensions will now be revisited in the 2027 off-season when he becomes a UFA. Since then, Pickens has been AWOL from the team’s voluntary training, while franchise quarterback Dak Prescott shows up as the team leader.
“Football is art 
,” the Dallas Cowboys official account posted on X while sharing a video of Dak Prescott working out with star receiver CeeDee Lamb at the voluntary OTA.
football is art
pic.twitter.com/PfaOMlfS7f
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 12, 2026
In the video, Prescott could be seen firing a near-perfect spiral to Lamb, who secured the pass before turning around, avoiding a blocker, and finishing his drill. Since the Cowboys’ first team workout was voluntary, Pickens would not face any financial repercussions for not attending.
Ever since the 2026 off-season, Pickens, who signed his non-exclusive franchise tag worth $27.298 million, has expressed his desire to play for the Dallas Cowboys and admitted that he “would love to play” for the team. However, the star wideout also knows that his market value has significantly increased after a strong 2025 season performance.
However, Pickens ‘ absence from the training camp will immediately put the front office on alert, as it comes right after his signing. While Pickens is not obligated to report until the mandatory minicamp starts on June 16, his absence can be taken as a sign of a temporary holdout. Moreover, apart from Pickens, the entire locker room showed up for the training camp, including wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who, alongside Pickens and Prescott, became the backbone of the Cowboys’ offense last season.
With George Pickens and the Dallas front office failing to secure an extension after the former Pittsburgh Steelers’ career year with 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, the 25-year-old could opt for a holdout over the upcoming workouts to force a deal. While the possibility of a holdout seems far-fetched, it may happen.
Pickens’ saga with the Cowboys can easily take a similar turn to what happened with Micah Parsons last year. After being drafted by the Cowboys and playing three years for the Star, Parsons and the Dallas front office failed to reach an agreement regarding an extension. Hence, the Penn State product announced on social media that he doesn’t want to play in Dallas before being traded to the Green Bay Packers.
While Jerry Jones and Co. continue to deal with Pickens, Dak Prescott showing up to these voluntary workouts will help the Cowboys to set the tone for the remainder of the offseason. This buy-in from the QB1 and the team leader will help set an example for the entire locker room, especially the rookies.
Dak Prescott finished the 2025 season with 4,552 passing yards, 404 completions, and 600 passing attempts while recording 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Furthermore, the quarterback’s presence alongside fellow superstar CeeDee Lamb also allows head coach Brian Schottenheimer to develop schemes if Pickens moves forward with his holdout into the regular season.
But despite this crucial decision highlighting his team-first mentality, Dak Prescott still faced criticism for his throws, with many fans questioning whether the Cowboys QB1 has lost his edge as he will soon turn 33 in June.
Fans call out Dak Prescott over poor throwing form at voluntary workout
Being a Dallas Cowboys quarterback may be the most difficult role in the league, as it comes with constant pressure coupled with scrutiny from the fans. Dak Prescott, despite coming off a near-MVP season, has been facing criticism for his throw to CeeDee Lamb in the video shared by the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys fans called out the franchise QB for a wobble in his throw.
“That wobbly a** f*****g football 
the 6-9-1 boys are ready,” commented one fan while another one wrote, “Why y’all post this man throwing a duck bro.”
Fans also trolled Prescott by stating that this throw would have been immediately picked if CeeDee Lamb were in coverage. One more fan added, “add some defense and that ball is picked off,” while another shared, “lol, underthrown wounded duck. Every DB in the league would have picked that 
.”
Dak Prescott showing up and leading by example is a good sign for the Cowboys, even if some fans are not convinced by what they saw. But until the George Pickens contract situation gets resolved, it will continue to overshadow everything else happening in Dallas.
