OXNARD, Calif. — A reporter asked George Pickens on Thursday whether he had put to rest any misconceptions about him and his attitude. The Dallas Cowboys receiver paused before answering.
“Man, I would hope so. I would hope so,” Pickens said.
He said the question does not occupy him the way it once did.
“Because I kind of let it just go by to the wayside now,” Pickens explained. “I don’t really kind of worry about what others say, but I would hope so, definitely.”
Pickens spoke after the Cowboys closed the Oxnard portion of training camp. He is the only player in the NFL playing this season on a franchise tag and did not mention the contract during the availability.
Dak Prescott was asked about him earlier the same day and said Pickens has been able to fully be George.
When It Clicked
Pickens said the adjustment happened before camp started.
“Really when I came to OTAs for a couple days, that’s when I was like, oh, yeah, I’m here. I’m with the guys,” Pickens said. “And from then on, I was just focused, locked in.”
He said the difference from a year ago is what he no longer has to think about.
“Last year I was learning. I was learning the plays while trying to learn some of the guys,” Pickens continued. “I think I was learning so much to where I was making plays, but now I’m playing faster.”
Pickens skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason program in 2026 and reported for mandatory minicamp in June. He signed the one-year, $27.3 million fully guaranteed tender on April 29.
What He Did Last Season
Pittsburgh drafted Pickens in the second round, 52nd overall, in 2022 out of Georgia. The Steelers traded him to Dallas before the 2025 season along with a 2027 sixth-round pick, for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
He caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first Dallas season, career highs in all three. He made his first Pro Bowl, was named second-team All-Pro, and was the offensive MVP of the Pro Bowl on Feb. 3.
His career totals stand at 267 receptions, 4,270 yards, and 21 touchdowns.
Pickens turns 26 in March and can reach unrestricted free agency in 2027. Stephen Jones said before the draft there would be no negotiations on a long-term deal, and the July 15 deadline for tagged players to sign multiyear contracts passed without one.
Camp Is Over In California
Pickens said the final Oxnard session produced more work than the first day of camp, and that the rookies handled their first camp well.
Asked what he was looking forward to about returning to Texas, he mentioned his house and his family.
CeeDee Lamb is on the other side. Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin hold the next two spots, and Jonathan Mingo, Anthony Smith, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and undrafted rookie Camden Brown are competing behind them.
Dallas plays at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and holds open practices at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26. The preseason ends against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. CT.
