Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens warms up before the start of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

George Pickens claims he 'forced' trade from Steelers during spat with fan

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 12:18 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys made a splash during the NFL offseason by trading for Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens. Dallas traded a 2026 third-round NFL draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection in exchange for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick.

Since completing the trade, Pickens has been learning the ropes in Dallas and building relationships with the coaching staff and fellow star wideout CeeDee Lamb.

Pickens has talked about maturity and putting the past behind him, but he dug up a note from the past during a social media spat with a Steelers fan over the weekend after being called out.

One account on X posted a video of Pickens' controversies titled, "George Pickens' timeline of trouble, a thread." Pickens caught wind of the video and popped up in the replies.

"Lmao, I play for the Cowboys. Now stop reminiscing, bro," Pickens responded. "And trying to justify the trade, y’all just lost another good player to fake reports like this one."

Another fan called out Pickens and said he was the problem in Pittsburgh, which drew another response from the wide receiver where he claimed he "forced" a trade from the Steelers.

Nah big dog, you was definitely a problem. They wouldn’t of moved on from you for next to nothing if that wasn’t the case
— (@0Obiewan2) May 31, 2025

"I forced buddy. They were gladly keeping me … have a nice day and a blessed one my guy," Pickens wrote.

PennLive.com took a screenshot of the since-deleted exchanged.

When Pickens was introduced by the Cowboys, he said all of the right things. He said he did not force a trade and that he was just looking forward to the fresh start.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has had high praise for Pickens, so hopefully he will stay on the right path and follow through with his comments from his first press conference in Dallas. Because if Pickens can avoid any locker room or on-field distractions, he will be a key part of the Cowboys offense that can take the next step now that CeeDee Lamb finally has a top-tier running mate.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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