George Pickens, now a member of the Dallas Cowboys, left many in Pittsburgh with a bad impression of his tenure. The NFL world shook when word broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Pickens to the Cowboys.
He now leaves behind a perennial playoff team in the Steelers for a Cowboys squad that hopes he can help them back to the postseason. In 48 career games, the former Georgia standout has caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns.
George Pickens Leaves Town, Still Cannot Shake Criticism
On the morning of the Pickens trade, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark gave his take. A former Super Bowl champion under Mike Tomlin, Clark knows the organization in and out and what the troubled wideout brings to the locker room. Appearing on “Get Up,” Clark offered sound critique.
"Mike Tomlin consistently says he doesn't run from coaching. … If George Pickens, with that immense amount of talent, can no longer exist in that locker room, it's going to be difficult for him to exist anywhere."
—@Realrclark25 on the Steelers trading George Pickens to the… pic.twitter.com/v1tBBvShWD
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 7, 2025
“Mike Tomlin consistently says he doesn’t run from coaching. … If George Pickens, with that immense amount of talent, can no longer exist in that locker room, it’s going to be difficult for him to exist anywhere.”
Pickens, time after time, displays a penchant for the big play. Averaging 16.3 yards in the NFL with volume catches is quite the feat. However, he also leads the league in most crashouts by a wide receiver.
For a position that accepts the occasional temper tantrum, the frequency with which Pickens flips out should give any organization pause. However, the Cowboys are not a disciplined organization.
Several Dallas coaches in the last decade or so have seemingly let the players run the locker room. If they don’t, the players would go over their heads and talk directly to Jerry Jones. How else do you explain the Cowboys’ history of destructive behavior without consequence? If Tomlin cannot rein a player in, that speaks volumes.
From Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes to Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant, the long line of Steelers malcontents at wideout never ends. Tomlin tried to bring those troubled wideouts into the fold. Instead of trying to change them, he set down parameters for them to conduct themselves within.
In all honesty, it worked for a while to great success. Then, the turn comes. Tomlin displays a knack for shipping receivers at the best possible moment, a point of no return when a player’s antics and attitude outweigh his contribution.
In 2022, Chase Claypool landed in Chicago for a second-round pick. Earlier that year, Tomlin allowed JuJu Smith-Schuster to walk. And last season, Diontae Johnson ended up in Carolina after questionable in-game behavior. Since then, he’s bounced between three teams in one season.
In all honesty, only Smith-Schuster and Brown enjoyed any semblance of success. Smith-Schuster embraced his role as the third or fourth option. Similarly, Brown won a Super Bowl as a contributor, never the main target.
As Clark says, Pickens is a phenomenal talent. He runs well, tracks the ball with ease, and makes highlight-reel catches. At the same time, immaturity surfaces, causing toxicity that envelops a team.
The question remains if Dallas can put the structure of a sound organization around a player with 1,000-yard potential annually — but with a mentality that will earn multiple suspensions.