Steelers Now
Despite being a distraction on and off the field throughout his three years in Pittsburgh, George Pickens disagrees with the narrative that he has a mercurial personality.
“I’m actually a chill guy,” Pickens said on Tuesday after a Cowboys OTAs session. “There’s a big phase of a tornado that’s not even true. I’m a chill guy and I just love to work. Just staying humble. That’s kind of what I always did. So even when the story was what the story was, I always just kept working, staying humble.”
In 2023, Pickens was fined over $200,000 between the NFL and the Steelers for incidents, including reported serial tardiness to team practices and meetings.
In 2024, he received over $80,000 in fines from the NFL for his on-field behavior, including unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, two fights after the end of a loss, a profane message on his eye black and got into a sideline spat with fans. He also was late on multiple occasions in 2024.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is thrilled to have Pickens in Big D.
“My time with him has been incredible. … We were all on board (with adding him). I see a guy that is maturing. He’s obviously a tremendous athlete,” Schottenheimer said.
Schottenheimer also said that Pickens has been dialed in and taking good notes. “His intentionality has been really cool.”
Pickens is at the honeymoon phase with the Cowboys right now. It’s all sunshine and rainbows. Will that be the case if Pickens receives four targets in a November loss? Time will tell. But right now, Pickens is stoked to be with America’s Team.
“I knew who he was as a player, obviously just watching him with the Steelers and how passionate he is about the game, I think they kind of get it confused once you’re so passionate about something you’re willing to do anything for,” Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said, via the team’s website. “As far as winning goes, and I mean just being happy in an organization, not saying he wasn’t, not saying that he was, but I mean you never know. He hasn’t stopped smiling since he got here, so I’ll start with that.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: George Pickens Disagrees with Narrative That He’s a Crash Out: ‘I’m Actually a Chill Guy’
