NFL legend Richard Sherman wasn’t impressed with what he saw from Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens during Dallas’ 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
Pickens mustered just five receptions for 37 yards in the contest and afterwards Sherman ripped into Pickens for a lack of effort.
Richard Sherman calls out George Pickens for performance vs. Lions
“The big story here is George Pickens,” Sherman said. “George Pickens throughout the game, especially late in the game just looked uninterested. Uninterested in playing football. That’s what you can’t have. If you’re gonna be a superstar, if you want to be the best receiver in the NFL, you can’t ever be disengaged. It doesn’t matter if the game’s going your way or not going your way.”
Pickens is on the last year of his current contract and he’ll be looking for a new deal over the offseason. Sherman thinks that performances like the one on Thursday night should give the Cowboys pause when it comes to opening up the bank for the star receiver.
“You can’t just disappear in these games or else you’re not gonna have impact,” Sherman said. “… You’re the guy, CeeDee Lamb is not in this game, he’s out. … You can’t be the guy and half-ass it. I’m sorry. … It’s unacceptable, and if you’re the Dallas Cowboys, and you’re looking at him and you’re looking to pay him big time receiver money, $40M, you gotta look at this tape and say, hey is this a guy we can trust paying $40M to show up regardless of circumstance, and I don’t know.”
The concerning thing with Pickens is this isn’t the first time he’s behaved in this manner. He often appeared moody and mercurial during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his effort was also questioned at times. That’s part of the reason why the Steelers decided to move on from the talented pass-catcher and trade him to the Cowboys back in May. The talent is clearly there, but the attitude could be an issue.
But, one poor performance doesn’t define an entire season, and Pickens has been extremely productive during his first year in Dallas. Pickens is second in the entire NFL in receiving yards (1,179) and tied for third in receiving touchdowns with eight. He’s gone over 100 yards in a game on four separate occasions.
Every player is entitled to a poor performance every once in a while. For Pickens, it will come down to how he bounces back. If he finishes the season strong, the game against Detroit will be just a blip on the radar. But, if the lackadaisical performances continue, that will become a major concern for both Pickens and the Cowboys.