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George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys

It’s been more than once that the folks at ESPN–and network NFL insider Adam Schefter specifically–have ignited the possibility of the Dallas Cowboys trading away George Pickens in the past week and, now, it’s been more than once that those information bombs have proven to be duds. It happened on Thursday, with the opening of the NFL draft, when Schefter reported that Pickens will sign his franchise tag tender, sparking speculation that Pickens would be traded during the draft.

That fizzled out very quickly, with team VP Stephen Jones giving a firm denial after the first round of the draft that the team was weighing trading Pickens. And it turned out that, while the Cowboys had been informed that Pickens intends to sign the tender, he had not yet actually done so.

Then, on Monday, with the first day of the Cowboys voluntary offseason workout program getting underway–and with Pickens not in attendance–Schefter went on “The Pat McAfee Show” and sent Cowboys Nation into a frenzy by declaring that Pickens had signed the tag and was going to have to be traded. ESPN posted the Schefter-Pickens clip on social media.

Adam Schefter Reported George Pickens Wants a Trade

Except … on Tuesday, after it was point out by ESPN’s own Jeremy Fowler and Cowboys beat man Todd Archer that Pickens has not, in fact, signed the tender, the network deleted it.

Here’s what Schefter said about Pickens on “McAfee” on Monday: “He wants a long-term contract or he would like a trade. They have been very clear that they are not going to do a long-term contract. So, now, that leaves them in a position, both sides, that is a little bit unsettled at this current moment. George Pickens signed a tender, so he is now contractually obligated to be there.”

But Pickens, as of Tuesday, has still not signed the tender, a deal worth $27.3 million over one year, even if he does intend to do so.

Cowboys Situation Resembles Micah Parsons

Naturally, this all has Cowboys fans’ heads spinning. From the Dallas side of things, it’s pretty simple: Pickens, who was excellent last year and finished with 93 catches and 1,429 yards (third in the NFL), has the franchise tag offer in front of him, and it is a take-it or leave-it deal. They’re not going to negotiate further on a long-term deal, nor will they–so they say, at least–trade Pickens.

It’s fair to question that because the same thing was said about Micah Parsons last spring, and it is not hard to find a link between Parsons and Pickens–they both have the same agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First.

Cowboys Are Not Seeking George Pickens Trade

But the misreporting of facts by Schefter, to the point where the clips are removed, has been most frustrating for Cowboys backers. On 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Schefter was taken to task.

Here’s what Shan Shariff said on the air on Tuesday afternoon: “How many times is Adam Schefter going to screw this up? He keeps saying that he signed the tender. Each time, Todd Archer has to come in and clean it up and put out the Tweet and the clarification, George Pickens has not signed it yet. And Adam said this the day of the draft, getting everybody all worked up that they’re gonna deal him on the clock. And then he said it again yesterday followed by Todd coming out and clearing it up that George Pickens has not signed the tender.

“At least three different times he is mentioning George being traded, that the Cowboys called on draft day to other teams. And he starts off that clip by saying George wants to be dealt still, he’s not going to get the long-term deal, which he is not going to get.”

In the end, for now at least, Pickens is still very much a member of the Cowboys. He just needs to sign the tag deal.