George Pickens received exciting news this week when he learned he'd been traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
It may be exactly what he needed. As he embarks on the final year of his rookie contract, Pickens is headed west to a Cowboys team that places a greater emphasis on the passing game and needed another talented receiver to line up opposite CeeDee Lamb. Pickens, meanwhile, needed a chance to prove he can be a receiver worth significant money after being limited by the Steelers' low-ceiling air attack.
On paper, he'll have a much better chance to do so when running routes for Dak Prescott, a quarterback Pickens said he's glad to work with in Dallas. He's also not taking the trade personally because ultimately, it might end up proving to be mutually beneficial.
"I'm kind of where my feet are right now, to be honest," Pickens said Thursday of his impending free agency in 2026. "I'm not really thinking about contract talks. I'm just glad to be here at Cowboys right now, you know, trying to build a winning culture."
In order for Pickens to maximize this opportunity, the big-play artist will have to fit into an offense headlined by Lamb. That means he might not see an extreme amount of targets, a possible outcome Pickens needs to accept before getting to work with the Cowboys.
It sounds as if he's already been convinced.
"Oh, it excites me a lot," Pickens said of playing alongside Lamb. "In the game of football, we can work off each other. There's no, 'Oh, he gets the ball, I get the ball' -- we're working off each other. That's why I always come back to, you know, building a winning culture and that's kind of what we've been talking about in Dallas."
Pickens left a winning culture in Pittsburgh that has been held back by inconsistent quarterback play. He's joined a Dallas squad that has its franchise QB and has demonstrated it can produce big numbers in recent years.
Now, the Cowboys will be counting on Pickens to make a difference. He'll be aiming to do the same. With new coach Brian Schottenheimer in charge, one can all but guarantee Pickens will be a focal point of the offense, a possibility that has the mercurial receiver eager to get going.
"I feel great. I like the mojo here," he said. "I like the swag. I feel like they have a great thing going for sure."
