When George Pickens was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he wasn't exactly a positive for the team's locker room and culture overall.
After all, Pickens had countless behavioral issues and outbursts both on and off the field that attracted no shortage of negative attention and likely drew the ire of his teammates. He was such a problem that Pittsburgh happily shipped him off to the Dallas Cowboys despite a clear need at receiver, even after the DK Metcalf trade.
However, Pickens has apparently been on his best behavior in Dallas so far, and so much so that owner Jerry Jones considers him a positive in the locker room.
"[Pickens] is doing more than we did expect or that we could've expected," he said of Pickens. "And what's really special is he's a real plus to have around the team. He's a real plus around his teammates, he's a great plus around those coaches and those coaches really think highly of him."
"So, he's not only doing it on the field, he is doing it as a part of team concept. That's very important in his particular case, which should be noted," Jones added.
Jones even went as far as to say the door is open for Pickens to be brought back next year, when the volatile wideout is slated to hit free agency.
"But, you know, we'll wait that. We knew full well if things really went like we want them to go, that certainly we need to think about having some room available if we're going to pay a second receiver at that level," Jones said of a possible Pickens contract.
After a mostly quiet start, Pickens has been on fire the last three games, which comes amid CeeDee Lamb's absence due to injury.
Pickens has tallied 359 receiving yards and four touchdowns over the last three weeks and has scored at least one time in each of the past five contests.
While Pickens is currently on track to warrant a new deal from Dallas, there's still a long way to go this season and his behavioral issues can pop back up at any moment and derail his hopes of landing a lucrative, long-term deal in 2026.
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