George Pickens' red flags have reportedly followed him from Steelers to Cowboys

Before wide receiver George Pickens became a revelation with the Dallas Cowboys this season, he reportedly caused numerous headaches while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2022 through the end of the 2024 campaign. 

For a story posted on Thursday morning, Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared that Pickens has been disciplined by the Cowboys more than once since Dallas acquired him from Pittsburgh this past spring. 

Why Cowboys have fined George Pickens more than once

"He might miss a team bus or be late on occasion, but [the Cowboys] can live with that," a team source told ESPN about Pickens receiving fines for being late. "He's been a hard worker and has been accountable, and that's been the important part."

Pickens and fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb were benched for Dallas' first offensive series versus the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11. The ESPN story noted that Pickens missed the team bus, while Lamb missed curfew. Pickens ultimately tallied nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown in Dallas' 33-16 win. 

Later in November, Pickens acknowledged via an essay that he "made some mistakes" during his Pittsburgh tenure. He reportedly was guilty of a "litany of violations" over his first three pro seasons, such as showing up late for meetings and for the Steelers' 2024 Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Will red flags cause Cowboys to let George Pickens reach free agency?

Pickens is having the best season of his still-young pro career. ESPN stats show he will head into Thursday night's game at the Detroit Lions leading the Cowboys with 73 receptions, 105 targets, 1,142 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches. Among all NFL players, only Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks accumulated more receiving yards (1,336) than Pickens over the campaign's first 13 weeks. 

"[Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott] has a unique way of knowing when to keep a guy accountable and knowing when to pull off, so when Dak speaks, George will listen," one Cowboys source told Archer and Fowler. 

That's important, as Pickens remains in the final year of his contract. Previous reports revealed that the Cowboys "have no plans of allowing" Pickens to reach free agency in March 2026. 

"He ain't leaving," a Cowboys source told Archer and Fowler about Pickens. The one-year franchise tag for Pickens is expected to be worth around $28M, and the ESPN story mentioned that "Dallas is not afraid of" that number. 

Pickens will next look to shine in front of a prime-time audience during what is a must-win game for the 6-5-1 Cowboys and 7-5 Lions. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Dallas as a three-point road underdog for that contest.