If losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t bad enough for the Dallas Cowboys, the team learned on Saturday that wide receiver George Pickens got into more trouble.
For Pickens, who had six catches for 79 yards and no touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 27-17 road win over Dak Prescott and Pickens’ Cowboys teammates at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on “Monday Night Football,” the NFL came down on him.
What Did the NFL Rule Against WR George Pickens?
After Pickens made a catch and headed out of bounds, he came back toward the field. When he did, Pickens reached out and held the ball towards Cardinals cornerback Denzel Burke.
Due to his play, Pickens was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. On Saturday, the NFL added some cash from Pickens’ pockets to the league. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero posted on X about what the NFL decided to do to Pickens.
“The NFL fined Cowboys WR George Pickens $17,389 for unsportsmanlike conduct – holding the ball toward Cardinals CB Denzel Burke on Monday night,” Pelissero wrote. “Pickens was also flagged.”
The NFL fined Cowboys WR George Pickens $17,389 for unsportsmanlike conduct — holding the ball toward Cardinals CB Denzel Burke on Monday night. Pickens was also flagged.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 8, 2025
While it’s not a hefty penalty against Pickens, it’s enough to get the wide receiver’s attention. The Cowboys fell to 3-5-1 in the 2025 NFL season, with a 2-1-1 record at AT&T Stadium. Dallas was down 17-7 in the second quarter and never could rally back and get the lead.
Pickens was a second-round draft choice by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia. For the season, Pickens has 49 catches for 764 yards and six touchdowns.
According to the PFSN NFL WR Impact metrics, Pickens has an 88.4 WR Impact Score and grades out to a B+. Teammate CeeDee Lamb is not too far behind, posting an 82.3 WR Impact Score and grading out to a B-.
Pickens, who has split his NFL career between the Steelers and Cowboys, has 223 career receptions for 3,605 yards and 18 touchdowns. In his second NFL season, Pickens averaged 18.1 yards per catch while pulling down five TD passes.
The Cowboys had hoped Pickens would be able to provide Prescott with an additional downfield target. So far, the relationship between them has been good. Yet, the team, under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, has not been able to achieve a winning record. That’s something he, Prescott, and Pickens want to change going forward.