FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are planning for George Pickens to play on the franchise tag this year and won’t negotiate with the star receiver or his agent on a long-term contract, executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones said Wednesday.

Pickens hasn’t signed the one-year deal worth $27.3 million, which means the 25-year-old would face no financial penalties if he didn’t report to mandatory minicamp in June. The rest of the offseason program, which starts Monday, is voluntary.

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“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,” Stephen Jones said. “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 in the league in terms of this decision as we move forward.”

Stephen Jones said he hasn’t talked to Pickens recently, but said owner Jerry Jones and coach Brian Schottenheimer met with him recently.

“It was good,” Schottenheimer said during the Cowboys’ news conference leading into the NFL draft, which starts Thursday night. “The thing that George knows about Jerry and myself is we’re very upfront and we’re honest. We had great conversation. We informed him. We think that’s important because that’s the way we handle all of our players and coaches.”

David Mulugheta, Pickens’ agent, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Pickens, acquired last offseason 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.

The 2022 second-round pick out of Georgia thrived alongside CeeDee 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.

Lamb missed the entire offseason and training camp in 2024 holding out for the deal he signed about two weeks before the season opener.

The Cowboys couldn’t use the tag on Lamb because he was going into the fifth year of his rookie contract. The fifth year is a team option that goes with all deals for first-round picks. Second-rounders have four-year deals, and Pickens earned $6.8 million on his rookie contract.

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Pickens’ talent was on display during three seasons with the Steelers, but so were enough instances of petulant or indifferent behavior for then-coach Mike Tomlin to question his maturity.

Schottenheimer never took issue with Pickens publicly in his first season as a head coach after a quarter-century as an NFL assistant. But Pickens and Lamb were benched for the first series in Las Vegas after missing curfew following a casino visit the night before the game.

“There’s a lot of things that go into that,” Stephen Jones said of the decision not to go forward on a long-term deal this offseason. “Let’s start with the fact that it’s not easy having two receivers being paid top of the market. A quarterback that’s been here, being the highest-paid player in this league for many years now.”

“The other thing is the newness of George being here,” Stephen Jones said. “I think George has just done an amazing job. I mean he’s exceeded all expectations. And a lot of those things, they make their way toward a long-term deal, but that’s the biggest part of it — between the business and newness of it, I think that’s a big part of it.”

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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Hitting the ball long off the tee is not just fun, it’s also good for your score. The closer you can get the ball to the green, the closer you’ll be able to hit the ball to the hole (on average). And the closer your approach shots are hit, the more birdies you’ll make.

There are a variety of avenues you can pursue to add a few extra miles per hour to your clubhead and ball speeds, but for the sake of this column, we are going to cover it from an instruction angle. That way when you’re under the gun and need to fly a hazard on the course, you can lean on your technique.

For more on that, we turn to world long drive champ Kyle Berkshire.

A hack for more distance

The golf swing has many moving parts — and for maximum efficiency, all these components need to work in just the right manner. Berkshire likes to compare the golf swing to a symphony, with each part of the body representing a different instrument.

“When you get to the last part of the symphony, the wrist is what dictates how much of that power is released into the club,” Berkshire says.

The release of the wrists may not seem like a huge power driver, but in reality, these small muscles are crucial. The wrists are the last part of the body that moves energy out toward the clubhead, so releasing them in the correct way is essential for generating power.

“If you have wrists that don’t really rotate, you’re really going to be losing a tremendous amount of power,” Berkshire says. “It’s your last point of multiplication of the force.”

Berkshire explains that when he is swinging the driver, he likes to feel like his wrists are very “soft.” And if you want to add power to your swing, you should strive to feel that softness, too.

“I like to have very loose and relaxed wrists,” Berkshire says. “I feel like that’s a good visual to have.”

So, next time you want to add a little power to your drives, remember to keep your wrists soft. It’s a feel that the one of the longest drivers in the world uses — and it’ll work for you, too.

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Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Mohsin Khan, Abdul Samad, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Matthew Breetzke, Mayank Yadav, Himmat Singh, George Linde, Josh Inglis, Anrich Nortje, Arjun Tendulkar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari.

Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Yash Raj Punja, Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka, Tushar Deshpande, Kuldeep Sen, Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao Perala.

Former MLB outfielder Garret Anderson died of “acute necrotizing pancreatitis,” local reports citing the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office said.

The Los Angeles Angels announced the former star outfielder died late last week at the age of 53.

“Acute necrotizing pancreatitis” is a condition in which part of the pancreas dies, according to Cedars-Sinai. The California Post reported his death was ruled natural.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Garret Anderson swings at a pitch during a game against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on April 8, 2007. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

A three-time All-Star, Anderson is in the conversation for the greatest Angel in franchise history, nearing the top of the leaderboard in many stats.

“Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class, and loyalty throughout his career and beyond,” the team said in a social media post. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the entire Anderson family.”

A call was made for “medical aid” to Anderson’s home in the early afternoon of April 16 after Anderson suffered a medical emergency. The Angels announced his death the next day.

Anaheim Angels Garret Anderson hits a three-run double against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning of Game Seven of the World Series in Anaheim, California, on Oct. 27, 2002. (Jeff Haynes/AFP)

MAMDANI TAKES ‘CURSE OF THE MAMBINO’ ON THE CHIN AS METS’ 11-GAME SKID SETS FRANCHISE RECORD

Anderson made his MLB debut with the California Angels in 1994 before becoming a true threat in the early 2000s. From 2002 to 2005, Anderson was named to all three of his All-Star Games, leading the majors with 56 doubles in 2002 and the American League in that same category with 49 the following season.

He is the franchise leader in hits, RBIs, doubles, and games played. His .296 average with the team is also the third-highest behind Vladimir Guerrero and Rod Carew, and he is second in runs with 1,024, behind only Mike Trout.

Perhaps the biggest hit of his career was his three-run double in Game 7 of that World Series, which made the score 4-1 Angels in the bottom of the third inning. That score would be the final.

Former Los Angeles Angels player Garret Anderson acknowledges spectators before his induction into the Angels Hall of Fame at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Aug. 20, 2016. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

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Anderson was twice named a Silver Slugger and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

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Celtics’ Fatal Flaw Sinks Them Again In Game 2 Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Over the last few years, the Boston Celtics have lived and died by the 3-pointer, especially in the playoffs.

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More often than not, it works. The Celtics had the fourth-best record in basketball this season, and their success from beyond the arc was a big reason why. They ranked third in 3-pointers made, fourth in 3-pointers attempted and eighth in 3-point percentage.

The issue is that when the threes aren’t falling, Boston has no idea how to win.

That’s what happened during Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. The Celtics went up 13 points in the first quarter and should have rolled to an easy victory. Instead, they went cold from three and ended up losing by 14.

Chelsea have sacked head coach Liam Rosenior after less than four months in charge and on the back of losing five consecutive Premier League matches without scoring for the first time since 1912.

Rosenior arrived at Stamford Bridge in January, signing a five-and-a-half-year deal, but has won just 11 of his 23 games across all competitions.

After Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton, Rosenior said the performance was “indefensible” and “unacceptable” as he faced angry chants from the travelling supporters.

They subsequently slipped to seventh in the Premier League standings in a further blow to their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

“Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following his appointment midway through the season,” Chelsea said.

“This has not been a decision the club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season.”

Day four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs certainly did not disappoint, with all four games coming down to the wire, and two requiring overtime. In the end, three teams found a way to even up their respective first-round series at 1-1 with clutch Game 2 victories, while the Presidents’ Trophy winners grabbed a 2-0 stranglehold.

In Blackhawks news, TNT studio analyst Paul Bissonnette fired a shot at the Original Six franchise on social media following a monstrous performance from Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel.

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Around the league, the Canucks have been linked to a former NHL general manager for their vacant position, Sunny Mehta’s poker face in New Jersey, and a reflection on Michael Misa’s rookie season in San Jose.

All that & more in the Daily!

Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Rumors

Chicago Hockey Now: While the Blackhawks might not have finished where they wanted in the standings once again this season, there was plenty of positivity shared about the future during the team’s exit interviews on Thursday. Head coach Jeff Blashill and GM Kyle Davidson were both excited by the growth shown from the young core and the camaraderie established in the locker room.

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More CHN: Players like Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, and more reflected on the ups and downs from the season during their respective exit interviews, while also touching on some of their offseason plans for the summer. Here are all the notable takeaways from the Blackhawks’ final media session until next fall.

While watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs from his hotel room, TNT studio analyst Paul Bissonette fired two chirps at the Blackhawks via Twitter/X on Tuesday. Brandon Hagel, who the Blackhawks traded to Tampa Bay back in March 2022, recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens, and “Biz” let the Blackhawks hear about it.