Peter Schrager disputes George Pickens’ diva reputation: ‘Not an un-coachable player’

The Dallas Cowboys have traded for George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers, filling a huge need with a fascinating player. His play on the field has been impressive throughout his NFL career, but his demonstrative nature during games has brought out diva allegations against the wide receiver over the past few seasons.

If that’s something Cowboys fans are worried about, worry no more. ESPN’s Peter Schrager put an end to that narrative on Wednesday, stating that Pickens had a ton of fans with the Steelers, and that it simply didn’t work out for him in Pittsburgh.

“The Cowboys were in the hunt, looking for a wide receiver this entire offseason. They had not made that move yet. They finally do,” Schrager stated, via Get Up. “I will tell you that the Steelers have been looking at their wide receiver room for quite some time. They tried to get Brandon Aiyuk last year in a deal from San Francisco, it didn’t come to be said. Instead, they traded a second round pick for DK Metcalf, and then gave him a $30 million a year contract. George Pickens, entering the final year of his contract.

“I would like to correct some people. Some think that he’s a a diva or he’s cantankerous. I talked to the Steelers folks, George Pickens is demonstrative on the field, but he’s not an un-coachable player. In fact, he does have a great way about him in the locker room, and is very well liked in Pittsburgh.

“For the Dallas side of this, they sat on it all draft. Everyone’s wondering, ‘Why are they not drafting a wide receiver? Why are they not drafting a running back? They took an offensive lineman.’ They get a player, who I think is the best available prospect, for a third round pick, and then they can decide if they want to re-sign him or not.”

Alas, Pickens is a former second round pick out of Georgia from the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s played for the Steelers for the entirety of his career to this point. The wide receiver has accumulated 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns during his three years in Pittsburgh. The highlight of his career so far was his second year with the Steelers, where he caught 63 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns.

As for the Cowboys, they’re coming off a brutal 7-10 season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Dallas parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after five seasons in charge, hiring Brian Schottenheimer to lead the way moving forward. Schottenheimer spent the past three seasons with the Cowboys as both an analyst and the team’s offensive coordinator. 

We’ll see what he can scheme up for George Pickens in Big D. One thing is for sure, this is a flashy move for the Cowboys, but only time will tell if it works out for Dallas.

— On3’s Riley Gates contributed to this article.