FRISCO, Texas — George Pickens‘ father coached Quinnen Williams. That was Birmingham youth football, two grade levels above the team Pickens played on. The two are teammates on the Dallas Cowboys now, four days from the season opener at the New York Giants.
Neither of those teams lost a game.
“Kind of the same thing. When we were younger, Quinnen was kind of like the same person he is now, honestly,” Pickens said. “Like, we’ve always been kind of dominant. You know what I mean? I was super good. Quinnen was super good. He was two years older than me. My dad coached him on the pound two years above mine. But we were always super good.”
Pickens was born in Hoover and grew up in Birmingham. Williams attended Wenonah High School in Birmingham.
How George Pickens And Quinnen Williams Got To The NFL
Williams redshirted at Alabama in 2016 and played there through 2018. He won the Outland Trophy and was a unanimous All-American in his final season, and the Jets took him third overall in the 2019 draft.
Pickens went to Georgia and won the 2022 College Football Playoff national championship as a junior. Pittsburgh drafted him 52nd overall that spring. He caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns across 48 games in three Pittsburgh Steelers seasons.
How Both Ended Up In Dallas Seven Months Apart
Dallas acquired Pickens on May 7, 2025, sending Pittsburgh a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick and taking back a 2027 sixth-round pick along with the receiver.
Williams arrived in early November, at the end of a chain that started with Micah Parsons. Dallas traded Parsons to Green Bay for Kenny Clark and two first-round picks, then sent one of those picks to the Jets for Williams.
Williams made his Cowboys debut on Monday, Nov. 17, at Las Vegas. Dallas won 33-16. The Cowboys held the Raiders to 236 total yards and 27 rushing yards. They gave up 511 points over the full season, the most in the league.
He started all 7 games he played for Dallas and finished with 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 9 quarterback hits, and an interception. He signed a three-year, $105.9 million extension this offseason.
Pickens played all 17 games and set career highs with 93 receptions, 1,429 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He signed a one-year franchise tender in late April worth $27.3 million fully guaranteed.
Both made the Pro Bowl for the 2025 season. So did Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, KaVontae Turpin, Tyler Smith, and Brandon Aubrey.
Williams and Clark were voted the Cowboys’ defensive captains on Sept. 3, in a player vote Brian Schottenheimer announced that afternoon. Prescott took the offensive patch and Aubrey took special teams.
Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on NBC.
