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| Pickens |
IRVING, Texas – Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Carl Pickens
agreed to a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
The deal, which could be completed as early as Friday, is
reportedly worth $500,000 and doesn't include a signing bonus or
incentive clauses.
"(Pickens) wanted to play for Dallas, so we took the deal,"
Pickens' agent, Steve Zucker, told The Dallas Morning News for its
Friday editions.
Pickens, who was released by the Tennessee Titans, met with
owner Jerry Jones two weeks ago and expressed a desire to sign with
the Cowboys.
But on Monday, Zucker said Pickens had rejected the Cowboys'
offer and would search around the league for a better deal.
The two-time Pro Bowler has spent 10 years in the NFL, most of
it with Cincinnati, where he was the team's all-time leading
receiver. He has caught 63 career touchdown passes.
Pickens, 31, performed best in 1995 and 1996 with the Bengals,
gaining 99 receptions for 1,234 yards and 100 receptions for 1,180
yards, respectively.
Last year with the Titans, Pickens caught only 10 passes for 242
yards. He missed seven games with a strained hamstring and didn't
catch a touchdown for the first time in his career.
The Cowboys said Pickens, 31, might be counted on early because
Joey Galloway and Rocket Ismail are returning from off-season knee
injuries and might not be ready for the start of the regular
season.
Dallas coaches want Pickens to be a possession receiver who
complements the speed of Galloway and Ismail. In third-down
situations, the Cowboys will count on Pickens to beat one-on-one
coverage when teams double-cover Ismail or Galloway.
With only average speed, Pickens still has enough size -- 6-2 and
210 pounds -- to use his body to shield defenders from the ball when
he runs inside routes.
Pickens will replace James McKnight, who signed a five-year, $9
million deal as an unrestricted free agent with the Miami Dolphins
last month.
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