With the NFL cracking down on taunting, George Pickens learned an expensive lesson. The league fined the Dallas receiver $17,389 for holding the ball inches from Cardinals corner Denzel Burke on the sideline, a gesture officials deemed unsportsmanlike. It won’t change his role, but it underscores how tight the line is on sideline theatrics in nationally televised games.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano then shifted the conversation to dollars and decisions . Fowler said executives around the league expect Pickens to “do very well” in his first crack at major money, noting he’s pacing for 1,400-plus yards and 10 touchdowns as CeeDee Lamb’s complement in Dallas.

The Cowboys also hold a powerful lever: the franchise tag, which Fowler pegged at around $29 million for a wide receiv

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