Facing questions about past, George Pickens focuses on future with Cowboys
Just a little more than 24 hours after wide receiver George Pickens was dealt in a blockbuster trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys, the fourth-year standout met briefly with local reporters in a conference call.
With many questions flying his way about an apparent messy split in Pittsburgh and his own off-the-field presence that he’s bringing to Dallas, Pickens was assertive, but humble. With many opportunities to defend himself after some choice words came out of the Steelers organization in the past, Pickens opted instead to look toward the future.
“I’m where my feet are at,” Pickens said. “I can’t even really think about the past. I’m just glad to be a Cowboy.”
Going back to his time at the University of Georgia, Pickens has been known to let his emotions spill out onto the field. In a week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last season, he was flagged twice for unsportsmanlike conduct, prompting Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin to say after the game that his star receiver needed to “grow up.”
While hard feelings may sit somewhere between Pickens and his former team, he acknowledged his own maturity and where that is headed now that he is in Dallas.
“I’m taking it one day at a time,” he said. “Everyone is working on growing and bettering their selves. I feel like growth, for me, is taking a great direction in me coming to the Cowboys.”
“I can’t change anyone’s opinion. Me, personally, I just continue to grow. Everybody 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 it.”
The phrase “winning culture” was mentioned six times by Pickens during his availability with the media, as he is showing early on that he plans on contributing to that, not preventing it.
While he is entering the final year of his rookie contract, he hasn’t put any focus into an extension with Dallas this offseason. While reports have suggested that he is comfortable playing it out before engaging in talks next offseason, he was more private about his intentions on Wednesday.
“I’m kind of where my feet are right now, to be honest,” Pickens said. “I’m not really thinking about contract talk. I’m just glad to be here with the Cowboys right now and trying to build a winning culture.”
Dallas made its intentions clear throughout the offseason on trying to find a No. 2 wide receiver to feature next to CeeDee Lamb. While Pickens more than fulfills that desire, some have labeled it a 1-A, 1-B situation considering Pickens’ production in Pittsburgh. But when it comes to labels and how he will fit in, Pickens once again showed humility when asked.
“As far as roles and stuff like that, I’m just here to work,” he said. “Whatever role finds me best is where I’ll find myself.”
“CeeDee is a super dynamic receiver, a super dynamic person, player. I feel like schematically, you won’t be able to double everybody. That’ll be a great thing for me and him.”
When the news came down on Tuesday morning, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was one of the first to reach out to his new receiving option. After three years in Pittsburgh that saw Pickens play with five different starting quarterbacks, he is looking forward to consistency with his new signal-caller.
“I’m very grateful to be playing with Dak,” Pickens said. “Watching his game over the years, he’s a smart QB and a prolific QB, at that. I’m just happy to be working with him.”
Things are still fresh for Pickens after a 24-hour stretch that will ultimately define how his career shakes out. Not even knowing what number he will wear for his new team or where he will live, how his time in Dallas plays out has a lot left to unfold.
While it is just one availability with media, he sounded confident and accepting of what lies ahead of him. The outside noise about his potential to bring more problems than solutions can’t be quiet enough for him to not hear it. But instead of being defensive, Pickens resorted to being corrective.
How long that mindset lingers will tell the story of the risk Jerry Jones and the Cowboys made when they acquired his services. But at least to start, Pickens is off on the right foot.
This story was originally published May 8, 2025 at 4:04 PM.
