Following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, a game in which WR George Pickens was penalized twice for unsportsmanlike conduct, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said the receiver had to “grow up in a hurry.”
“It’s an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big,” Tomlin said at the time. “He’s got a target on his back because he is George, he understands that. But he has gotta grow up.”
On Wednesday, the Steelers traded Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, and he responded to Tomlin’s comments during his introductory press conference.
“Just taking one day at a time. I feel like everybody in the world is working on growing, on their bettering of their self. I feel like growth for me is taking a great direction in me coming to the Cowboys,” Pickens said Thursday via ESPN’s Todd Archer.
At the time, it didn’t seem as if Pickens took Tomlin’s comments to heart. He got injured in practice the following week, missing three games, and the next game he played, in Week 17 against the Chiefs, Pickens reportedly showed up late for it.
Pickens seems to think that the trade to Dallas will help in his maturation process, and that’s what the Cowboys are banking on. Talent has never been the question with Pickens. He was Pittsburgh’s most productive receiver each of the last two seasons, and before his injury, he was one of the NFL’s leading receivers last year. But he accrued thousands of dollars in fines from the team and league for his actions, and his attitude was constantly a question in Pittsburgh.
With Pickens entering the last year of his deal in 2025, the Steelers opted to trade the former second-round pick and guarantee themselves future draft capital. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the move “addition by subtraction” due to Pickens’ behavior, and the Cowboys are hoping that Pickens can be more of a professional in Dallas than he was in Pittsburgh.
As for the trade itself, Pickens said that he found at the “same time as everyone else,” per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
While rumors percolated all offseason about the Steelers trading Pickens and they discussed a deal with the Cowboys during the draft, things seemed together quickly in the last few days after the Cowboys reportedly upped their offer. The trade was initially reported in early Wednesday morning, and it doesn’t seem like Pickens got any advance notice of him being dealt.
If George Pickens can put it all together on the field and with his attitude, he has the potential to be one of the best receivers in the league. That’s why Dallas felt comfortable pulling the trigger on a trade, and he seems to be confident that he’s in the right place to grow up.
