Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens warms up for the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl Games on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (Vera Nieuwenhuis/AP Content Services for the NFL)

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens signed his $27.3 million franchise tag Wednesday, making it almost certain the Pro Bowler will show up for mandatory offseason work while the club remains adamant it has no plans to trade CeeDee Lamb’s sidekick.

Pickens informed the Cowboys just hours before the start of the NFL draft last week that he intended to sign the one-year tender, which sparked trade speculation because executive vice president Stephen Jones had said a day earlier Dallas had no plans to negotiate a long-term contract with Pickens this offseason.

The 25-year-old, acquired last year in a trade with Pittsburgh, had career highs in catches (93), yards receiving (1,429) and touchdowns (nine) for one of the best offenses in the NFL last season. Dallas had one of the worst defenses in the league and finished 7-9-1, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Pickens thrived alongside Lamb, who is going into the second year of a $136 million, four-year contract that currently ranks him third among NFL receivers with an average annual value of $34 million.

There was incentive for Pickens to take the guaranteed money under the tag because it’s a huge payday compared to the total earnings of $6.8 million on his four-year rookie deal as a 2022 second-round pick out of Georgia.

Simmons retiring

DENVER — Two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons has retired following a nine-year career, including eight seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos announced Simmons’ retirement on Wednesday and noted the news came exactly 10 years after the team selected the safety in the third round in 2016.

Option picked up

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have officially signed the fifth-year option on quarterback Bryce Young’s contract, keeping the 2023 No. 1 pick with the team through the 2027 season.

General manager Dan Morgan repeatedly has said the goal is to sign Young to a long-term deal, although the team still has plenty of time to get that done. Young is 14-30 as the team’s starting quarterback.