George Pickens sure seems to be fitting in like a glove at the start of his Dallas Cowboys tenure, and he didn’t refrain from taking a thinly-veiled shot at the Pittsburgh Steelers during OTAs when asked what’s stood out about his new team thus far.
“Just everything. The culture, too,” Pickens said. “That’s the thing. It’s super refreshing with a different culture.”
No one can blame Pickens for adopting such a positive attitude amidst a fresh start while entering a contract year. He wore out his welcome with the Steelers, and it never felt as though their partnership would last beyond the 2025 campaign, with that belief being validated by the team’s acqusition of DK Metcalf in March.
Pickens is among the most talented wide receivers in the league, evidenced by his 2,841 yards while playing in what was a hapless offense for a vast majority of his three years in Pittsburgh, but his on-field production was at least partially offset by his behavior.
From drawing fines seemingly every week to showing up late and getting into fights on the final plays of games, the Steelers were rightfully cautious about extending Pickens and thus landed a 2026 third-round pick alongside a 2027 fifth-rounder from Dallas for his services.
New Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t have any reservations about Pickens’ fit inside the locker room, however, instead believing that he’ll thrive in a different environment.
“We did a ton of research into GP, my interaction with GP has been incredible,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s going to fit in awesome with what we’re trying to do here. He’s all about a new opportunity. We all change, adjust, grow, I’m thrilled with the way the guys have responded to him.
“It’s a chance for he and CeeDee, they’ve trained together, they’re spending time together, when we did our homework on GP. We don’t have those concerns and we’re bringing him into a culture that we feel like he’ll thrive just like everybody else. Why? Because it’s important to us and we’re going to get to know him and learn his story.”
There’s no love lost between the Steelers and Pickens, with both parties welcoming the opportunity to move forward while having zero reservations about how the situation played out.