Cowboys' George Pickens admits to making 'some mistakes' during Steelers tenure

Wide receiver George Pickens seems to love being a member of the Dallas Cowboys after they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring. 

Pickens penned an essay in The Players' Tribune on Friday about his time with the Steelers, which lasted from the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft through the end of the 2024 season. 

George Pickens explains what went wrong with Steelers

"I was still a kid," Pickens wrote. "I made some mistakes. I’ll own that. I let my emotions get the best of me a few times because I’m always riding that line. That’s just who I am. I’ve tried to learn from it and grow while still being ME." 

With Pittsburgh, Pickens became known for looking displeased and for emotional outbursts during games that seemed to stem from a lack of targets. After he was traded to the Cowboys, reports revealed that the Steelers were "fed up with" the 24-year-old's antics, which included a "litany of violations." 

Such violations reportedly included Pickens showing up late for meetings and for "other things," such as Pittsburgh's Christmas Day contest against the Kansas City Chiefs last December. 

The perception exists that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had run out of patience with Pickens. However, in Friday's piece, Pickens suggested he still has a good relationship with Tomlin. 

"Now the media in Pittsburgh? I admit ….I was trolling y’all a little bit. I apologize! But I don’t have a bad word to say about Pittsburgh," Pickens continued. "I can call up Coach T right now, and we’d have a real conversation. What I respect about him most is he always told me, 'Just keep being you, George.' It just wasn’t the long-term fit for where my journey was headed, and that’s OK."

Will the Cowboys be a long-term fit for Pickens?

Pickens and fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb were recently benched for Dallas' first offensive series versus the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night after they missed Sunday's curfew. In the Cowboys' win over the Raiders, Pickens tallied nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. 

The fourth-year pro in the final year of his contract has since said he'd "love to" stay with the Cowboys beyond this season. 

"They did right by me," Pickens added about the Steelers. "They sent me to the perfect spot in Dallas. What more do you want me to say? There’s no drama, bro. No headlines to write. They’re doing things their way up there, and I’m down here in Dallas with CeeDee and [quarterback Dak Prescott] doing what I do best. Everybody wins. I swear, there’s a higher power guiding all of this. I was meant to get this fresh start in Dallas." 

Over his first 10 games with Dallas, Pickens recorded 58 receptions for 908 yards and seven touchdowns. He'll next have an opportunity to prove his worth to the 4-5-1 Cowboys when they host the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) this Sunday.