There are a lot of questions surrounding George Pickens’ arrival to the Dallas Cowboys, most of which are very understandable.
One of the main driving forces that pushed the Pittsburgh Steelers to deal Pickens away is character concerns. The wide receiver is productive and explosive but his tendency to fight and overall behavior has been a talking point since his college football days.
But now, the internet is discussing another concern: The Steelers curse on high-profile wide receivers that have left Mike Tomlin’s teams.
Specifically, the conversation blew up when ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted an image detailing average yards per game splits from notable receivers before and after their time with the Steelers. With most averages dropping significantly following their departure from Pittsburgh.
Here’s what George Pickens now will try to overcome in Dallas: There haven’t been many Steelers wide receivers that have left Pittsburgh and gone on to produce more elsewhere. Most all saw their per-game productivity – by yardage – fall off by at least 20 percent, via @PaulHembo. pic.twitter.com/EbaIPEPeMw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 8, 2025
However, as it’s always the case in football, context matters. So let’s dive into the three reasons why Pickens should be able to overcome the perceived curse. Let’s start with context.
1. Pickens is better and younger than most of those Steelers receivers when they left Pittsburgh
Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, Diontae Johnson, Santonio Holmes, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Martavis Bryant were all older when they exited Pittsburgh than Pickens is going into his fourth year in the NFL. Bryant’s and Brown’s declines also had a lot to do with off-the-field issues, including a season-long suspension for the former.
Additionally, Pickens’ career trajectory is on a much better trajectory than multiple names on the list, with Johnson being the most recent example.
Most importantly, Emmanuel Sanders is omitted from the list for obvious reasons: He went on to have a brighter football career outside of Pittsburgh, including three 1,000-yard seasons.
2. Pickens is significantly upgrading his quarterback
While most of the names on the list had Ben Roethlisberger throwing them the football during their time in Steelers, Pickens wasn’t as lucky during his time in Pittsburgh. Instead, it was mostly a combination of Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson.
Going from that to Dak Prescott is a major difference. Regardless of where you feel the polarizing Cowboys quarterback ranks in the league, it’s difficult to argue against him being an upgrade for Pickens. And the pairing should have a good chemistry considering they both excel in go routes.
this is wild
Dak Prescott last 2 years:
#1 most pass yds on 15+ yd go routes
#2 most att on 15+ yd go routesGeorge Pickens last 2 years:
#1 most rec yds on 15+ yd go routes
#2 most catches on 15+ yd go routesDak also #3 best accuracy of 40 QBshttps://t.co/5psYJ187vE
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 7, 2025
3. Motivation is at an all-time high for Pickens
While the biggest knock on Pickens is his behavior, the trade could be a timely wake up call for the young receiver. He isn’t interested in signing a contract extension for a good reason: A strong season could propel him to highest-paid WR territory.
If he fails to produce in an offense where CeeDee Lamb will be the biggest help he’s ever had at his position or he fails to prove his attitude doesn’t have to be a major problem on a second team, it could negatively affect his value for the rest of his career.
As the kids say, Pickens has to lock in if the wants to land a historic payday.