George Pickens has surpassed the expectations of even the most hopeful of Dallas Cowboys fans to this point in his first season as a member of America's Team. With Pickens and CeeDee Lamb forming one of the top WR duos in the league for starting QB Dak Prescott to distribute the ball to, concerns have been rising that Pickens' stellar play could ultimately price him out of Dallas altogether.
Entering the Cowboys' Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions, Spotrac had updated its free agent projections to suggest that the former Georgia Bulldogs standout could be in line for a deal with an average annual value of over $31 million. This has put Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office in a sticky situation, but, likely to the disgust of his own agent, Pickens seems to be doing the Cowboys a favor by putting a ceiling on his potential value on the open market.
George Pickens' Antics Making Him More Affordable for Dallas to Re-Sign
Following their 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football, Seattle Seahawks legend Richard Sherman had some choice words for Pickens, calling out his "uninterested" and "disengaged" demeanor, while providing postgame analysis which the receiver clearly caught wind of.
This led to Pickens posting a message on social media, which has since been deleted, directly attacking Sherman for his words. The impending free agent questioned Sherman's stance as a former player, before going on to suggest that Sherman's success was a byproduct of the players around him and not his own particular set of skills. The specific wording Pickens used, however, was enough to make his head coach answer questions from the media about the post.
"I'm aware of what was supposedly put out there," Schottenheimer said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. "I've not talked to him yet. I understand it's been taken down, but I will be talking to him, just checking on him. Again, this is unfortunately things that we deal with in this profession. But I have not spoken to him, but I will."
Schottenheimer will undoubtedly have a conversation with Pickens about the importance of not creating unnecessary drama. Ownership in Dallas does a fine enough job of that; their star players don't need to add fuel to the fire with social media rants as we saw on Friday. While this is certainly a distraction in the moment, it could be something that actually pays off for the Cowboys in the long run.
For better or worse, Pickens has a reputation around the league from his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the physical tools are all there, as he has proven during his run with Dallas this season, the headaches that can come with them will be more than enough to make franchises pass on the idea of even pursuing the wide receiver this offseason.
Having a "diva" WR on the roster is nothing new for the Cowboys. From Michael Irvin to Keyshawn Johnson, to Terrell Owens, and Dez Bryant, Dallas has been the football home of plenty of outspoken and, sometimes, controversial pass catchers. Schottenheimer and the front office may not love that Pickens vented in the manner in which he did on Friday, but that won't change their view that he is a key piece of the puzzle for this offense.
If Pickens wants to continue to bring his own market value down with these sorts of outbursts off the field, the Cowboys will gladly let him do it. They will just be eagerly waiting for the opportunity to bring up those instances when the two sides meet at the negotiating table this offseason.