News of the Pittsburgh Steelers trading 24-year-old wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys broke early Wednesday morning, and believe it or not, Pickens himself found out when it became public on social media.
“It was like my old draft reaction. I found out when everyone else found out,” Pickens said on a conference call on Thursday. “I feel great, I like the mojo here. I like the swag, there’s a lot of new players I’ve been meeting. I feel like they have a good thing going, for sure.”
Pickens said he did not request a trade despite him being mentioned in rumors all offseason, and he himself fanned the flames of those rumors by posting a picture of himself standing with Las Vegas Raiders part owner Tom Brady this offseason.
“This game is just as much a business as it is football. It’s kind of like out of my control,” Pickens said of being traded. “I’m glad to be here in Dallas and able to continue the winning culture that they have.”
He was incredibly productive in three seasons in Pittsburgh, racking up the third-most receiving yards in franchise history in a player’s first three seasons with 2,841. However, the Steelers had an issue with how Pickens carried himself on the field, something that came to a head in Pittsburgh’s 44-38 road win at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 last season. Pickens caught three of his six targets from quarterback Russell Wilson for 74 yards and a touchdown that day, but he also picked up two personal foul penalties: a taunting call and an unsportsmanlike conduct call. That led Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to publicly challenge Pickens to grow up.
“You just have to grow up, man,” Tomlin said that day. “It’s an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He has a target on his back because he’s George. He understands that, but he has to grow up. He has to grow up in a hurry.”
Pickens noted that he “can’t change anyone’s opinion” about him, but that he’s continually pushing himself to grow as a person each and every day when asked about that quote from his former head coach.
“Just taking one day at a time. I feel like everybody in the world is working on growing on their bettering of their self. I feel like growth for me is taking a great direction in me coming to the Cowboys,” Pickens said. … “I can’t change anyone’s opinion. Me, personally, I just continue to grow. Everyone in the world has to grow as you get older and older. I’m just trying to build a winning culture, which they already have at the Cowboys. I’m just glad to be joining.”
George Pickens latest Steelers player with red flags to not pan out; why team deserves credit, blame for trade
Bryan DeArdo
One of the key players in Dallas’ culture, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott, was one of the first people to reach out to the explosive wide receiver once the trade became finalized. In Pittsburgh, Pickens lacked continuity from his starting quarterback as the Steelers rotated from Mitchell Trubisky (seven starts) to Kenny Pickett (24 starts) to Mason Rudolph (three starts) to Justin Fields (six starts) to Russell Wilson (11 starts) across his three seasons. He’s certainly grateful for the stability of playing with the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up after he experienced a rollercoaster at quarterback his first three years in the NFL.
“I’m grateful to be here, and I’m grateful to play with Dak,” Pickens said. … “That [Prescott] was one of the first guys I contacted with. Just watching his game over the years, he’s a very prolific QB. Smart, smart QB, so I’m just glad to be working with him.”
Pickens himself produced prolific numbers, averaging 16.7 yards per reception across the last two seasons, a figure that leads the entire NFL among 61 players with at least 110 catches since 2023. Dallas needed a field stretcher opposite All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb to loosen up some double teams by making plays. That’s something Pickens can certainly do: his 12 catches of 30 or more air yards in 2024 were the second-most in a single season since 2006 when the stat first began being tracked. Prescott is now equipped with two high-caliber receivers for the first time since 2021, when five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper was last in Dallas. That’s when Prescott threw a career-high 37 touchdowns. Offensive fireworks should return to the Cowboys offense.
“Just trying to catch every pass. I kind of embrace myself and hone in on that when I’m on the field. Whether that’s a slant, the last couple of years it’s been go balls, so that’s why I led the category in that, but just definitely trying to catch every pass,” Pickens said of his deep-ball production.
Given some of the notorious displays of emotion Pickens has shown on the field, many have wondered how he and Lamb will coexist alongside each other since Lamb is entrenched as the Cowboys’ top target. Pickens dispelled the notion that they will fight each other for targets, noting he actually has a preexisting relationship with Lamb from using the same trainers in past offseasons.
“CeeDee is a super dynamic receiver, super dynamic person, player,” Pickens said. “I just feel like schematically you won’t be able to double everybody. So that will be a great thing for me and him. … It excites me a lot because in the game of football, we can work off each other. There’s no ‘oh he gets the ball, I get the ball.’ We’re working off each other. That’s why I always come to back to building a winning culture, and that’s what we’ve kind of been talking about in Dallas.”
So what will Pickens’ role be in Dallas offense? WR1B, WR2? To him, those are media-driven designations and nothing he’s concerned about.
“I’m just here to work,” Pickens said when asked about what his expected role will be and how he will be as a teammate. “Whatever role finds me is where I’ll find myself. … Bringing a lot of guys along [will be how I’ll be as a teammate]. Me winning the championship at Georgia, I definitely know how to win. … Making the playoffs with the Steelers, I’m definitely knowing the formula to make it to the next level. Just bringing what I know already with what these guys know already.”
The upcoming 2025 NFL season will be pivotal for Pickens since he’s entering the final season of his rookie deal in 2025. Some players upon being traded somewhere new with a season left on their contract would immediately ask for a contract extension, but that’s not the vibe Pickens gave off when asked about a potential extension and potentially needing one ahead of the start of the season. He made it seem like the plan is to play out of his rookie deal and revisit the topic next year.
“I’m kind of where my feet are right now, to be honest. I’m not really thinking about contract talks,” Pickens said. “I’m just glad to be with the Cowboys right now, trying to build a winning culture.”
As for when he’ll get incorporated into the Cowboys offseason program, that will happen as soon as he can get his logistics in order. The specific timing on that is currently unknown as is his Dallas jersey number, something he said he’s “not sure” about when asked. Fourth-year safety Markquese Bell is currently in possession of No. 14, Pickens’ number with the Steelers the last three years.
“Just as quickly as I can find a place to live, get a vehicle, stuff like that,” Pickens said of his Cowboys offseason program start date.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings