George Pickens is saying all the right things as he begins life as a Dallas Cowboys star.
And left in his wake?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to do the same.
“I can’t really change anyone’s opinion of me personally,” said Pickens, traded this week from the Steelers to Dallas. “I just continue to grow. I feel like everybody in the world has to grow. I’m trying to build a winning culture, which they already have with the Cowboys.
“Just glad to be joining it.”
The new Dallas Cowboys receiver with so much great talent and so much baggage said nice things about quarterback Dak Prescott (he’s “smart” and “prolific”) and CeeDee Lamb (he’s “dynamic.”)
Of joining the Cowboys, he used words such as “swag” and “mojo.”
And what of Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers he leaves behind?
From ESPN’s Adam Schefter …
“A lot of question marks, but the Steelers feel very comfortable and confident that they have the right group of wide receivers to help make a difference this season.”
How nice of Adam to say.
How bold of Adam to say.
Maybe this will – citing the monster trade for D.K. Metcalf, of course – be Pittsburgh addition by subtraction.
After an ugly two-game stretch in 2023 in which he caught only three passes for 21 yards, Pickens posted “Free me!” on his social media and scrubbed any mentions of the Steelers. He later explained the move had “nothing to do with football.” Later that year he was roundly criticized for a lack of effort, specifically not blocking for running back Jaylen Warren near the goal line. Pickens claimed he was trying to avoid injury.
He’s had multiple shouting altercations with fans at games. He’s been fined several times for unsportsmanlike conduct, including last year’s game against the Cowboys when he violently grabbed the facemask of cornerback Jourdan Lewis. And in Week 17 he arrived late for a key game against the Chiefs.
Said Tomlin about Pickens late last year, “He’s just got to grow up, man. This is an emotional game. He’s got a target on his back because he’s George; he understands that. But he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”
Pickens didn’t grow up. He “grew out” … all the way to Dallas.
It’s Pittsburgh really “comfortable and confident” without him? That truth doesn’t happen in a studio in Bristol. It has to happen on the field.
