The George Pickens revival hit a sudden snag in the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions. Dak Prescott put the ball in the air 47 times and threw for 376 yards while the Cowboys played catch up on Thursday Night Football. But George Pickens wasn’t invited to the party.
Fans had high expectations for the wideout against Detroit. And with CeeDee Lamb ruled out with a concussion, Pickens had an opportunity to shine. Instead he disappointed, finishing with five receptions for 37 scoreless yards.
After the Cowboys' 44-30 loss, Richard Sherman called the fourth-year receiver out. “The big story here is George Pickens. George Pickens throughout the game, especially late in the game, just looked uninterested in playing football,” Sherman said, per Warren Sharp on X. “You can’t be the guy and half-ass it. I’m sorry, it’s unacceptable.”
Did George Pickens fumble the bag on TNF?
Pickens seemingly reinvented himself in Dallas after the Pittsburgh Steelers traded him over the offseason. The 24-year-old wideout has played well this year with the Cowboys reportedly overlooking maturity issues that have persisted.
But Dallas’ season was essentially on the line Thursday night. Lamb was forced from the game early in the second half and the Cowboys needed Pickens to step up. Instead, he delivered a lifeless performance.
“And that’s what you can’t have. If you’re gonna be a superstar, if you want to be the best receiver in the National Football League, you can never be disengaged. It doesn’t matter if the game is going your way or not going your way. You can’t just disappear in these games or else you’re not going to have impact,” Sherman added.
Pickens had been playing his way to a massive payday in the final year of his rookie contract. Determined to keep him in Dallas, the Cowboys suggested they’d pay up for the receiver. But Sherman, still ruining wideouts’ days in retirement, questioned the wisdom of such a signing.
“If you’re the Dallas Cowboys and you’re looking to pay him big-time receiver money, $40 million, you gotta look at this tape and say, ‘Hey, is this a guy we can trust, paying $40 million to show up regardless of circumstance.’ I don’t know,” Sherman noted.
