FRISCO — George Pickens has been the subject of a lot of discourse during his four years in the NFL, both in Pittsburgh and most recently this season in Dallas. That’s why the most recent discussion points — his scrutinized effort against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 4 and his lack of production in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings — weren’t anything new to him.
He’s used to it.
“Starting to get kind of old, honestly,” Pickens said.
Pickens, speaking for the first time since he spoke postgame after the loss to the Lions, didn’t talk too much when asked about the external discourse around him. He said his focus is on the Chargers.
Cowboys
That’s off the field. He did talk about the last couple weeks on the field, however.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)
Jerome Miron / AP
Pickens was forthcoming with reporters after the Detroit game and with the coaching staff that his performance in that loss wasn’t up to his standard. His response, from a production standpoint, wasn’t up to that standard either against the Vikings on Sunday. Pickens has combined for eight catches for 70 yards on 15 targets over the last two weeks.
Pickens said his recent production drop has been due to opposing defenses paying more attention to him with double coverage.
“It’s really that simple … offensively, all we can do is try and execute at a high level, no matter how that looks,” Pickens said.
Pickens also pointed to the success of fellow receivers CeeDee Lamb and Ryan Flournoy as proof that he’s pulling the defense’s attention, opening up other receivers in the process. Flournoy had over 100 yards receiving against the Lions. Lamb has had back-to-back 100-yard games, which is even more impressive considering he missed most of the second half against Detroit with a concussion.
“CeeDee is going crazy, Flo is going crazy,” Pickens said. “Super proud of those guys.”
Pickens reiterated during his meeting with the media on Wednesday that his focus is on the field. He’s a pending free agent. He’s also someone that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has openly said that he wants to bring back, adding that Pickens has been more than what they hoped for when they traded for him this offseason. Pickens is third in the NFL with 1,212 receiving yards. He has career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns. He also set the franchise record for most receiving yards for a player in their first season with the team.
As for the discourse around him, he’s not focusing on that either.
“Everybody has a job to do. Some people’s job is to do that,” Pickens said. “Tear down character, see how much clicks they can get, but I’m just here to play football and help the team, honestly.”
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