Inside George Pickens' turnaround from Steelers to Cowboys

As Jourdan Lewis walked up the Acrisure Stadium hallway to the Dallas Cowboys' locker room after a 20-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, the cornerback wasn't shy about his feelings toward George Pickens.

After the final play of the game and some trash-talking back and forth, Pickens yanked Lewis to the ground by his face mask.

"Pittsburgh need a receiver," Lewis, now with the Jaguars, said loudly enough for anybody to hear. "George Pickens is weak."

It wasn't only opponents who had issues with Pickens. The Steelers, who made him a second-round pick in 2022, were growing tired of his apparent immaturity.

"He's a child," one Steelers source said bluntly about the team's problems with Pickens. "The playmaking is breathtaking. You can't take that away from him. He just really struggled with the maturity part [in Pittsburgh]. You didn't know what you were going to get day to day."

Seven months after Pickens' run-in with Lewis, the Cowboys acquired Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Steelers for a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick.

It could not have worked out better for Dallas.

Entering Thursday's game at the Detroit Lions (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), Pickens has 73 catches for 1,142 yards (second in the NFL) and eight touchdowns (third) in 12 games -- all career highs.

How did Pickens' move from Pittsburgh to Dallas help him shake off his reputation as an immature and underperforming player to become one of the top receivers in the NFL -- and what does that mean for the Cowboys' chances of re-signing him as an unrestricted free agent this offseason?

The Cowboys will have to answer those questions in the coming months as they balance his personality, immense talent and ensuing monster payday.

"When he was having a good day, he's really fun to be around. Funny, cracking jokes, huge smile," a Steelers source said. "When he wasn't having a good day, he didn't want to be bothered or coached. I could never put my finger on why.

"When the ball was in the air, I never worried whether he was going to catch the ball and get his feet in bounds."

WHEN HE ARRIVED at The Star following the trade, Pickens went to coach Brian Schottenheimer's office. They shot baskets, talked about life and his experiences in Pittsburgh. Schottenheimer wanted to understand Pickens without judgment.

Before the trade was finalized, Schottenheimer spoke with people in the Steelers' organization and at Georgia, where Pickens played in college and Schottenheimer spent the 2015 season as an assistant.

What was he told?

"Different things," Schottenheimer said. "How much he loved football, that he loves to play the game. You might have to deal with him being late occasionally and some things like that, which sometimes we all oversleep. But for the most part it was all positive.

"The minute I sat down with George Pickens in my office, and we shot some hoops, it was very clear to me, this guy was fired up to be a Dallas Cowboy and excited to help us go win games."

One Steelers source who was consulted by the Cowboys told them that Pickens would be fine in Dallas because he'd have an alpha quarterback in Dak Prescott and an alpha receiver running mate in CeeDee Lamb. The source added that Pickens was late to meetings a lot in Pittsburgh -- sometimes to the point "you felt the game was disrespected" -- but teammates "loved him."

Schottenheimer has acknowledged that timeliness has been an issue for Pickens this season. He did not elaborate, and multiple sources said Pickens has been fined for being late.

"He might miss a team bus or be late on occasion, but [the Cowboys] can live with that," a Cowboys source said, noting Dallas hasn't made a big deal out of the fines. "He's been a hard worker and has been accountable, and that's been the important part."

Upon making the trade, Dallas was not worried about any challenges Pickens' personality might present, believing it had the infrastructure to handle star players with a diva label. One Cowboys source likened Pickens to Dez Bryant, who offset emotional outbursts and occasional distractions with stellar play, thriving off the stable Dallas environment.

The Cowboys also bet on the presence of Prescott to maximize Pickens' enormous skill set.

"That's where a lot of the issues from Pittsburgh stem from," a player source said. "He didn't have stability at quarterback."

"The stuff he couldn't control, he had a hard time dealing with -- and a quarterback's play is not in his control," another Steelers source said. "I think the quarterback issues [in Pittsburgh] played a part in his frustrations."

A Cowboys source cited Prescott's leadership as a key for Pickens, who respects Prescott. "[Dak] has a unique way of knowing when to keep a guy accountable and knowing when to pull off, so when Dak speaks, George will listen."

Prescott, who is having an MVP-caliber season, said of Pickens: "He's a one-of-a-kind guy. Special individual, elite, has a great feel for the game, loves the game, plays the game like a kid. When you watch him play, the energy, the celebrations, like that's contagious.

"But the discipline, there is a part of that that we've all got to tighten up. And GP knows that. Obviously, he responded to it, responded to the discipline by the way that he came out, and the intensity he played with and the effort he had. But he's a special individual. There's a balance to it, though."

Lamb and Pickens synced up quickly on the field and turned into one of the most effective receiver pairings in the NFL.

"I feel like he's comfortable here. He's happy here. He has a home here, and he feels like he's accepted," Lamb said. "I feel like we did a great job welcoming him with open arms. And everything he did in Pittsburgh? Bring that here. We're going to figure out everything else and how we have to grow as men and a football player off the field, but other than that, come be you.

"I feel like it was very easy for him. He understood that we weren't trying to change him. We wanted him to come over and do that, and that he's doing. He's actually exceeded that. Shoutout to GP, man."

When Pickens missed the team bus for the Week 11 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Schottenheimer explained Pickens would sit out the first series, executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. So would Lamb, who missed curfew.

If there were any residual effects from the benching, they have not appeared.

"His energy is so vibrant, it kind of gravitates to me and bro, CeeDee," Pickens said of Schottenheimer the week after his benching.

what a move, george 😮‍💨

📺: #DALvsLV on ESPN
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/RmDxAeDdUk pic.twitter.com/cXCR8broV1

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 18, 2025

After Lamb scored a touchdown against the Raiders, Schottenheimer went over to both receivers and playfully hugged them.

"In the league? Probably not," Pickens said when asked if he had been embraced like that before. "But definitely back [in] high school. But in the league? No, Schotty's probably the first."

Pickens had unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in consecutive games against the Cardinals and Raiders. Sitting at a table for a news conference after the win over the Raiders, Schottenheimer moved his hand on the edge, teetering back and forth.

"You try to play on the edge and not go over the edge, and he's kind of right here often," Schottenheimer said. "That's why I think he's such a great player. But I'll say it again, I love him. I really do. I love the young man. I tell him that all the time."

PICKENS' TURNAROUND IN Dallas leads to the big offseason question: Where will he play in 2026?

He will be an unrestricted free agent, as the Cowboys did not pursue a long-term extension after acquiring him. They wanted to see how he would perform, produce and fit in with the Cowboys. And Pickens wanted to see how he would fit in Dallas as well.

To date, there have been no discussions on an extension.

Multiple league sources predict Pickens will shoot for a massive number based on his play -- quite possibly in the $30 million-and-up range that nine different receivers occupy, putting him close to or even in the class of Lamb, Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, who signed the league's richest receiver deal (four years, $161 million) in March.

Some around the league are uncertain whether Dallas would acquiesce, given the franchise tag of roughly $27 million to $28 million is well under that total. That would open up the possibility of Pickens skipping the offseason program and training camp if he and the club are unable to reach a long-term agreement by July 15, 2026.

The early signs are that Dallas is not afraid of the franchise tag number. "He ain't leaving," a team source predicted.

On numerous occasions, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has said he wants to keep Pickens.

"I'm proud he's having the season he's having," he said. "It exceeds anything we could have hoped for."

Prescott and Schottenheimer have said they want Pickens, too.

"I think that'd be a priority in the offseason," Prescott said of if he will tell that to Jones. "Right now has it come up? Maybe joking here or there, whether it be to George or whether it be to Jerry. ... But I'm all-in for [keeping Pickens]."

Said Schottenheimer: "I'm very in favor of George having a long-term future with us."

Salary cap issues complicate things, but a deal is not impossible. Each year, the Cowboys restructure contracts to create salary cap space.

The Cincinnati Bengals have Chase and Tee Higgins under deals worth $40.25 million and $28.75 million annually, while also paying quarterback Joe Burrow $55 million a year. Lamb makes $34 million a year. Prescott makes $60 million a year and will have a cap figure of $74 million in 2026.

The deals signed by tight end Jake Ferguson, cornerback DaRon Bland and left guard Tyler Smith earlier this year were designed with the ability to create roughly $30 million in room in 2026. Add in contract restructures for Prescott and Lamb, and there could be more money. Dallas could also release cornerback Trevon Diggs, who is set to count $18.441 million against the 2026 cap.

The Cowboys will also carry over a large amount of 2025 cap space to 2026. Currently, they have $23 million in room, but some of that could be chewed up if players reach certain incentives.

Jerry Jones had a simple answer when asked recently on 105.3 The Fan if the Cowboys could pay three defensive tackles -- Osa Odighizuwa, Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark -- $20 million apiece and add Pickens at the top of the market to Lamb's already huge contract.

"Yes," Jones said.

As much as people bemoan the Cowboys' negotiation tactics of waiting to complete a deal with players (e.g., Prescott, Lamb, Micah Parsons), there is little incentive for Pickens to sign an extension right now, short of getting a contract on par with Chase.

Pickens has been relatively quiet about the impending contract discussions.

When asked if he would sign the franchise tag tender, Pickens said, "I kind of leave that stuff to my agent."

Pressed again, he said, "I'd have to wait probably until that comes. I can't really see in the future. So I'd have to wait for it to get here."

But he hopes to remain in Dallas.

"I'd love to be back with bro [Lamb], especially him, Dak, all the guys really," Pickens said.