Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens denies ripping the organization in an alleged Instagram comment that has circulated following their trade of him to the Dallas Cowboys.
In a statement on his Instagram story, Pickens says he was on a flight, and the image is AI-generated.
“Literally on a plane No service. Just landed and seen straight lies from Pitt fans,” Pickens said. “Stop with AI, trying to make a story. I’m happy for everything the Steel City did for me.”
In the deleted comment, Pickens supposedly ripped the team as the ‘cheapest organization’ who lets their top players walk whenever it is time to pay them.
The comment was deleted quickly if it was real, but Pickens denies it. Following the trade, Pickens said he was moving on and would focus on playing with the Cowboys. He doesn’t plan to force the contract issue and hold out with the Cowboys.
“I can’t really change anyone’s opinion,” Pickens said. “Me personally, I just … continue to grow. I feel like everyone in the world has to grow. You get older and older as you grow. Like I said, I’m just trying to build a winning culture, which they already have at the Cowboys. I’m just glad to be joining it."
General manager Omar Khan said the Cowboys called the Steelers about a deal and were aggressive in acquiring Pickens. After internal conversations with Pickens and the staff, they decided to proceed with the deal.
“You know, the trade sort of happened quickly. We had some people inquired during the draft, nothing that really made sense. And Cowboys reached out earlier this week. And they proposed something for us to think about,“ Khan said. ”We had conversations internally. You know, I also had some conversations with George’s agent, Dave (Mulugheta), who I have a good relationship with. And we discussed where things have been with George, where they are and where things could go with George. And this trade makes sense for everyone.”
The second-round pick of the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft, both he and Kenny Pickett, the team’s first two picks from that draft, never finished their rookie contracts with the team.
Pickens missed three games with a hamstring injury, dampening what looked to be a second-straight 1000-yard season with the third-year wide receiver.
He averaged 15.3 yards per reception with 59 receptions for 900 yards on the year. In each of the last two seasons, Pickens has eclipsed 15 yards per catch and 900 yards as the focus of the team’s passing offense.