Well, that didn't take long. Following the very first practice of Dallas Cowboys training camp, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens already fired shots at his former team. All eyes were on Pickens as he took the field for the first time with his Cowboys teammates, and his new fanbase is already getting a sense of his media presence.
Pickens called his first practice in California with his new teammates a 'breath of fresh air', but he quickly turned his focus to roasting the team that drafted him and who he played for the past three seasons.
"I'm definitely excited to run better players," Pickens told the media, via the Dallas Cowboys YouTube channel.
This was clearly a shot at Pittsburgh's offensive coordinators. Pickens has played with OCs Matt Canada and Arthur Smith early in his career. The Steelers haven't been known for their passing offense since the days of Ben Roethlisberger, and Pickens' comments felt like an intentional roast to his former team.
Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens picks up right where he left off when it comes to addressing the media
The Pittsburgh Steelers washed their hands of George Pickens back on May 7, and nobody should have been surprised to see the troubled wide receiver leave town. Though Pickens has never faced suspension in the NFL, his lack of effort on the field has been egregious at times, and he's struggled to conduct himself maturely. However, his media presence is equally as painful.
Over the past three seasons, Pickens has blamed the media for false narratives, given head-scratching responses to questions, and even walked away in the middle of a media session. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what Dallas Cowboys fans will get to deal with in 2025.
Maybe Pickens didn't mean anything by his 'excited to run better plays' comment, but this would seem to align with the bizarre things he has said to the media in the past.
It's not one big, flagrant thing from Pickens that will wear out the Cowboys' fanbase; it's death by a thousand paper cuts. If George Pickens starts passing the blame to his new teammates when things aren't going well, we hate to say we told you so.
There's a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away a 24-year-old wide receiver only scratching the surface of his incredible talent, and Cowboys fans are already getting a small taste of it after Pickens' first day of training camp practice.