George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t work out. Realistically, they weren’t going to.
Yet, as the receiver looked to be at home in his new Dallas Cowboys uniform this season, the general consensus became that his former team made a mistake by sending him off. Now comes the fun — and potentially messy — part.
After he’d posted career highs in his first go-round with the Cowboys — 93 receptions, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches — Pickens said earlier this week that the team hasn’t reached out to him to discuss a new deal yet.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saw how Pickens pulled coverage away from fellow game-breaking wideout CeeDee Lamb, making life easier on quarterback Dak Prescott. There were spurts where Pickens’ frustration surfaced, though, along with moments that raised questions about his effort. Jones’ way of negotiating with players has drawn criticism.
Looming extension could flip the George Pickens trade in Steelers' favor
“George Pickens is a star. Now, there were a couple of games where that effort came into question,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said Tuesday on First Take. “You looked at him and (were) like, ‘Wait, are you going all out?’ And that’s not wise to do in a contract year. … And so, (if) you’re Jerry Jones, the question about him complicating it? Sure, because his mentality is, ‘Where you going? I’ve got until the deadline to take care of you. And I’m gonna draw it out.’”
Smith doesn’t think that Jones will bend if Pickens' asking price is too rich for his blood. It's not hard to see why: Jones remained hard-headed with an even better player in Micah Parsons, whom he sent to the Green Bay Packers after a contract impasse.
“He lives in a different world. He does,” Smith said of Jones. “I’ve criticized him for it, but he won’t change. … If Pickens asks for one more dollar than Jerry Jones thinks he deserves, Jerry (is) gonna hold out. That’s just how he is.”
Meanwhile, Pickens told Dallas News’ Joseph Hoyt that he doesn’t know how he’d feel about being franchise tagged — a one-year commitment worth nearly $29 million, with no long-term security attached. Would Pickens, who has members of another storied NFC team lobbying for him, really be happy with Jones kicking the can down the road?
Probably not.
What will George Pickens want in a new contract?
That looming uncertainty is exactly what the Steelers were avoiding, even if it meant sapping some potency out of their passing game.
Let’s imagine the Steelers kept Pickens, who wrote in The Players Tribune in November that Pittsburgh “just wasn’t the long-term fit for where my journey was headed.” That statement alone said plenty. Pickens didn’t envision himself wearing black and gold for the rest of his career.
Had Omar Khan not moved him when he did, the Steelers likely would’ve lost Pickens to another suitor in free agency — and gotten nothing in return. Instead, Pittsburgh and new head coach Mike McCarthy head into April’s draft armed with extra capital, ready to forge into a new era.
Pickens is going to ask to be paid among the very top players at one of the most expensive positions in the sport, and he has plenty of numbers to back that up. Of course, that won't make Jones or Cowboys fans feel better about backing up the Brinks truck for him, and therein lies the rub. It’s still too early to raise either side’s fist, but Pickens slipping from Dallas’ grasp would certainly decide it.