Wide receiver George Pickens is a top-tier talent, but also a controversial character inside the NFL world. After leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers to join the Dallas Cowboys, he’s been balling. However, everyone assumed the wideout would hold a grudge towards his former team, but he shocked everyone.
Speaking to ThePlayersTribune.com, Pickens shockingly said that he actually holds no bad thoughts towards the Steelers. “I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about Pittsburgh,” Pickens said. “I can call up Coach [Tomlin] right now and we’d have a good conversation. What I really respect about Coach is that he was telling me the whole time, ‘Just keep being you, George.’ There was no beef. It just wasn’t really a fit long-term.“
He also spoke about DK Metcalf’s arrival to the Steelers, effectively the guy who replaced him on the roster. “When I knew they were bringing in DK with the two-tight-end offense, I thought: Cool, perfect for y’all. Let me get up out of here and get you a pick. And that’s how it went down. They did right by me, in the end.“
Has Metcalf replaced Pickens properly?
There are two ways to measure that. One, comparing this Metcalf year to Pickens’ last year in the Steelers up to this point of the season. The other is comparing how both are doing this year on their respective new teams. Metcalf has 37 catches for 551 yards and five touchdowns this season. Pickens had 48 receptions for 728 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games last year with the Steelers.
This year, Pickens has 58 catches for 908 yards and seven touchdowns for the Cowboys. Basically, in both ways, Pickens beats Metcalf in production. Hence, in hindsight, the Steelers might regret the move.
Pickens is looking for a contract with the Cowboys
This is the last year of Pickens’ current deal. He has stated that he would love to re-sign with the Cowboys. Now, it’s also known that Jerry Jones is a difficult owner and GM to work with. So, the contract saga is one to watch.
Pickens is performing at a Pro Bowl-caliber level while being the second option of the team behind CeeDee Lamb. This just speaks volumes as to how talented George Pickens really is.