George Pickens behavioral issues, explained: Why Cowboys trade with Steelers is risky

There was always a chance that the Pittsburgh Steelers would trade wide receiver George Pickens this offseason, and that came to fruition on Wednesday, with the Steelers sending the volatile wide receiver to the Dallas Cowboys.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer, the Cowboys are sending the Steelers a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-rounder.

While the Cowboys finally landed the upgrade at wide receiver the team needed across from CeeDee Lamb, the deal doesn't come without some risks.

One of the risks of making this deal is that the Cowboys are giving up valuable draft capital for a player who may be gone in 2026, as Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

There has been no indication early on that the Cowboys will extend Pickens, who is obviously looking for a long-term deal.

But that isn't the only risk the Cowboys are taking in acquiring Pickens, who has proven to be quite volatile and unpredictable during his days with the Steelers.

George Pickens behavioral issues explained

Pickens is no doubt supremely talented, but his behavioral issues made it difficult for the Steelers to trust giving him a long-term extension, which is why he was made available.

Pickens' issues have come both on and off the field during his career. On the field, Pickens has gotten into several fights with opposing players, which is, of course, a liability because those scraps can lead to unnecessary penalties.

Another issue has been Pickens showing up late to work, something he has done on multiple occasions during his career, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"A source told the Post-Gazette Pickens has shown up late for work on multiple occasions this season," Fittipaldo revealed. "Antonio Brown was notorious for being late, but Tomlin never reduced his snap counts."

Adding to that, Pickens also showed up late to Pittsburgh's Christmas Day game in 2024, The Athletic's Mike DeFabo reported.

"When he was finally healthy, how did he respond? By showing up late for the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs," DeFabo wrote. "Tomlin asks players to report to games at least two hours before kickoff. On Dec. 25, Pickens walked through the media entrance an hour and 25 minutes before kickoff. That was after inactive players were announced."

When you take all of that and Pickens' notoriously poor attitude in general, it's easy to see where he could create problems in the locker room for the Cowboys.

But that's just a risk the Cowboys had to take with their need at the wide receiver position. If Pickens pans out, he'll provide a huge boost for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offense in 2025 — and quite possibly beyond.