The highs and lows of George Pickens’ 3 seasons with the Steelers

It became clear early during his first training camp that George Pickens had the talent. He dazzled fans at Saint Vincent in 2022 with seemingly daily displays of one-handed and/or contested catches, combined with good size and breakaway speed.

It also didn’t take long for it to become clear that all of the ancillary … baggage … that comes with Pickens was going to be a storyline throughout his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That tenure ended Wednesday with a trade to the Dallas Cowboys. Pickens lasted three seasons with the Steelers. He led the team in receptions (174), receiving yards (2,814) and receiving touchdowns (12) in that span.

He also led them in times fined by the league and (unofficially) in social-media brouhahas.

A look at some lows and highs of Pickens with the Steelers:

The good: One-handed catch in Cleveland

In just his third career regular-season game and first in prime time, Pickens pulled in a highlight-reel catch early in a loss at the Browns on Sept. 22, 2022.

The bad: Scuffle during Hail Mary in Cleveland

As a Russell Wilson desperation throw to the end zone was in the air, Pickens was pushing and shoving with the Browns’ Greg Newsome during the final play of a Nov. 21, 2024, loss to the Browns.

The good: 2 long TDs vs. the Bengals

With their 2023 season all but on the line and the Steelers having made the desperate switch to Mason Rudolph at QB, Pickens had touchdown catches of 86 and 66 yards in a 34-11 win Dec. 23.

The bad: 2 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties vs. Bengals

Pickens was twice flagged and penalized 15 yards apiece for after-whistle taunting and unsportsmanlike calls during a Dec. 1, 2024, win at the Cincinnati Bengals.

The good: Winning TD for Christmas Eve comeback win

Pickens caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett with 46 seconds left in an emotional, frigid-cold 2022 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders to cap a week in which franchise icon Franco Harris died.

The bad: Ejected for Thanksgiving head-first hit

Pickens was disqualified for the final seconds of a Nov. 20, 2022, home loss to the Bengals when he lunged head-first at Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd after Boyd accepted the clinching onside kick. Boyd later took verbal shots at Pickens and his effect on the Steelers’ locker room.

The good: October ’24 primetime TD, big play

In an Oct. 20 win on “Sunday Night Football” against the New York Jets, Pickens wowed with a 44-yard catch down the sideline during the second quarter. Later in the quarter, he had an 11-yard touchdown reception from Wilson.

It was the final of four career games with the Steelers in which he had more than 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The bad: Fined for eye black, facemask throw

Two weeks before that, also during a home game on “SNF,” Pickens was making headlines for other reasons. He had a profane message on his eye black, and after the seconds ticked off of a Cowboys’ 20-17 win, Pickens grabbed Dallas’ Jourdan Lewis by the facemask and flung him to the ground.

The good: Big blocks against big people

Pickens was never afraid to use his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame against opposing defenders. His blocking at times endeared him to fans, teammates and coaches.

The bad: Non-blocks, illegal blocks at inopportune times

Other times, though, Pickens failed at such duties. Once during an October 2023 win at the Los Angeles Rams, he was penalized and fined for an illegal crackback block.

Two months later, his lack of effort on an opportunity to block might have cost the Steelers a Jaylen Warren touchdown.

The good: Clutch plays late in big game

Twice during the fourth quarter of a one-possession game during Week 17 of the 2023 season, Pickens made crucial catches for big plays to help seal a win at the Seattle Seahawks. The first was for 34 yards from Rudolph on a third-and-6 with 11 minutes, 35 seconds left. The next came just after the 2-minute warning when Rudolph hit Pickens for 24 yards deep into Seattle territory. The win set up a scenario for the Steelers to clinch a playoff berth the following week in Baltimore.

The bad: Shows up late for big game

With the division title still well within reach when the Steelers faced the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on this past Christmas Day, Pickens made a late arrival to Acrisure Stadium, reportedly after 11:30 a.m. for a 1 p.m. kickoff — some 35 minutes after the demands of team policy.

The good: Goes viral on social media

Pickens regularly trended on social media, particularly during training camp settings when fans at Chuck Noll Field would post unauthorized videos of spectacular catches.

The bad: Goes viral on social media

A day after netting minus-1 yard during a Nov. 11, 2023, win against the Tennessee Titans, Pickens took to his Instagram account. He scrubbed all references to the Steelers and wrote “free me” under a meme. Pickens had been spotted during the game avoiding his teammates’ celebration of a Diontae Johnson touchdown, generally sulking on the sideline and quickly leaving the field as the game ended in victory.