“The stuff that I do, bro, I feel like I’m the best in the whole world,” George Pickens said during an interview, while talking about what sets him apart, especially with catching the football. The confidence wasn’t new; Pickens has always spoken like a player who believes the field belongs to him. But as he starts fresh with the Dallas Cowboys, it’s not just his highlight plays that people are watching. But as he starts fresh in Dallas, fans aren’t just watching for highlight plays; they’re watching to see if he can break a pattern that has haunted others before him. A pattern less about talent, and more about what happens after you leave the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“George Pickens is gone. Diontae Johnson is gone. The Steelers are getting rid of those guys. And it seems to have been Omar Khan’s mission since he arrived as GM to just not put up with it — because that was his first big move, right?” — Christopher Carter said on Locked On Steelers. Translation? Since becoming GM in 2022, Khan is willing to move on from players who don’t align with the team’s direction. There’s also a pattern: the players he trades often underperform on their new teams. His first move was trading Chase Claypool to the Bears, and he finished the 2023 season with just 8 catches for 77 yards between two teams. They sent Kenny Pickett to the Eagles, and he didn’t start a single game. Now, George Pickens joins that list, and with his trade to the Dallas Cowboys, all eyes are set on what comes next.

Pickens came off a strong 2023 season with Pittsburgh: 1,140 yards on 63 catches and five touchdowns, leading the league with 18.1 yards per reception. In 2024, he followed up with 59 catches for 900 yards and three scores, including a 76-yard performance with a score in a win over the Bengals. Despite missing time with a hamstring injury, he remained Pittsburgh’s leading receiver and continued to deliver. Despite the explosive totals, questions linger about consistency. In a system where CeeDee Lamb commands most of the attention after leading the NFL with 1,862 yards and 135 catches, Pickens will need to carve out a defined role quickly. Because Dallas didn’t just trade for a playmaker — they brought in someone trying to outrun a pattern that has trailed nearly every player Khan has traded away under the Steelers’ curse.

The Steelers’ wide receiver curse has been unfolding for over a decade, with stars thriving in Pittsburgh but fading after leaving, even long before Omar Khan became GM. And it hasn’t just happened once or twice; the list of names keeps growing. Antonio Brown averaged 86.2 yards in Pittsburgh, but after leaving in 2019, he never topped 78 again. Mike Wallace left in 2013 and saw his average fall from over 74 yards per game to 58.1 in Miami. Santonio Holmes dropped from 78.0 to 62.2 yards per game in his first year with the Jets. JuJu Smith-Schuster left in 2022 and posted just 23.6 yards per game with the Patriots in 2023. Chase Claypool, traded in 2022, finished 2023 with only 77 total yards. Whether it’s bad systems or timing, the decline is real, and for Pickens, the fight to avoid that slide has already begun.

He might be one of the few receivers who can dodge the Steelers’ wide receiver curse. Pickens is younger than most who left and now plays with a better quarterback in Dak Prescott. His traits — size, speed, and sideline ability — still stand out, at least on paper. But some early concerns about maturity have already resurfaced, with a missed appearance stirring quiet tension before the season’s even begun.

George Pickens makes early noise in the Dallas Cowboys

George Pickens landed in hot water last week after TruEdge Sports called him out for missing a youth football camp, which shapes a player’s public image at Highmark Stadium. The criticism followed his trade to the Dallas Cowboys on May 7 — a move that drew mixed reactions from Steelers fans. Before the trade, Pickens had committed to attending the camp while still with Pittsburgh. But after the trade to Dallas, his team informed the organizers at the last minute that he wouldn’t attend.

To keep the event on track, they promptly reached out, ultimately bringing in Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth to step in. “We are determined for this event to be a wonderful experience for you all. As soon as we were informed of George’s decision, our team went to preserve this event. We’re pleased to share that Steelers Tight End Pat Freiermuth has officially committed to stepping in as a guest for this camp,” TruEdge said in a statement. 

They also didn’t hold back at first, saying Pickens showed a “lack of accountability” and let down the kids and families who expected to see him. Coming just weeks after his trade to the Cowboys, the criticism only added to the pressure already building around his early performance dip and adjustment to a new system.

But a few days later, the company clarified, “At no point did George communicate with us directly, and our communication with George’s representatives led to confusion about the camp’s status and future direction. Regrettably, the language used in our original message mischaracterized George’s intent and actions.” Still, the timing didn’t help. Pickens is yet to make an impact in Dallas, and this is exactly how the Steelers’ wide receiver curse tends to unfold — a drop in production, followed by noise off the field. Now, both his role and reputation are in question.