DALLAS — Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday that something has stopped the Dallas Cowboys from making a long-term commitment to George Pickens, the receiver Pittsburgh traded to Dallas in May 2025 rather than pay on a second contract.
Tomlin made the comments on The Rich Eisen Show during a media run ahead of his first season as an NBC studio analyst. Pittsburgh’s framework, Tomlin said, is to draft talented young players, develop them, and do second-contract business with the ones developing in the right ways and fitting the long-range plan.
“[A second contract] didn’t happen for us with George,” Tomlin said. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s not gonna be a spectacular player. I think he’s already proven that to a degree with his first year in Dallas. But there’s also been something that stopped Dallas from making that long-term commitment to him, as well.”
Dallas placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pickens in February. He signed the fully guaranteed $27.3 million tender on April 29, and the July 15 deadline for tagged players to reach long-term deals passed without an agreement. Pickens will play the 2026 season on the tag, and contract talks cannot resume until next winter.
Mike Tomlin On DK Metcalf And The Second Contract
Tomlin said he could not speak to what transpired in Dallas, or to what Pickens has to prove there to secure a long-term deal or become part of the Cowboys’ long-range plans.
“For us, I just thought, it’s not only play. It’s development in other areas, intangible areas,” Tomlin explained. “I think when you’re a high dollar, second-contract guy, I think there’s some leadership responsibilities, and things of that nature. And I just don’t feel like that was in his natural wheelhouse. We felt better about DK’s abilities in those areas.”
Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks on March 9, 2025, and signed him to a four-year extension worth $132 million. Metcalf caught 59 passes for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns in 15 games last season. The Steelers finished 10-7 and lost 30-6 to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round on Jan. 12.
The Pickens trade closed on May 7, 2025. Dallas sent a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh and received Pickens along with a 2027 sixth-round pick.
George Pickens’ First Season In Dallas
Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns in 17 games in 2025, all career highs. The 1,429 receiving yards ranked third in the NFL. They were also the most by any player in a first season with the Cowboys. Pickens made his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro.
Over three seasons in Pittsburgh, Pickens played 48 games and caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns. His best yardage total there was 1,140 in 2023. The Steelers drafted him 52nd overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia.
Pickens wrote in The Players’ Tribune last November that he could call Tomlin and have a real conversation, and that Pittsburgh was not the long-term fit for where his journey was headed.
“I was still a kid. I made some mistakes. I’ll own that,” Pickens wrote.
Dallas Cowboys Open At The New York Giants
Dallas went 7-9-1 last season and missed the playoffs. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is in his second year, and the Cowboys return all 11 offensive starters, including CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday on DLLS Sports that paying Lamb and Pickens at the top of the market gets harder next year.
Tomlin was named a studio analyst on NBC’s Football Night in America in April, after 19 seasons as head coach in Pittsburgh. Football Night in America is the lead-in to Sunday Night Football.
Dallas opens the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13 at the New York Giants. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC, the Sunday Night Football season debut.
