Richard Sherman rips ‘disinterested’ George Pickens in on-air rant as Cowboys fans slam ‘lazy’ star
The Dallas Cowboys’ late playoff pursuit has been dealt a huge blow after suffering a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.
In an epic Thursday Night Football clash between one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL, it was the NFC North juggernauts who came away with the victory at home at Ford Field in Detroit.
But the game certainly wasn’t without its drama.
After Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb went down with a concussion in the third quarter after his head made contact with the turf, which saw him leave the field with the aid of the athletic trainers, the onus was on George Pickens to assume responsibilities as WR1.
Instead of being motivated to help the Cowboys try and rally back from a 27-9 deficit at the time, Pickens – who the Cowboys traded for in the offseason – appeared to fall back into behaviors that left the Pittsburgh Steelers wanting to rid him off the team.
At multiple times in the contest, the 24-year-old lacked effort in running his routes, and was at fault for quarterback Dak Prescott‘s interception to start the third quarter.
“Lazy,” one fan posted.
“Friday work vibes on a Thursday,” another said.
“I’ve never seen anything like that. Can’t imagine what Cowboys’ film room will be like on Monday,” a third posted after Pickens failed to make a catch.
Pickens’ performance left former NFL star Richard Sherman turned analyst stunned at what he saw, with the former member of the Seattle Seahawks‘ Legion of Boom defense firing off a scathing rant at the Cowboys receiver.
“The big story here is George Pickens,” Sherman said before unleashing on the receiver. “George Pickens throughout the game, especially late in the game, just looked uninterested in playing football.
“That’s what you can’t have. If you’re going to be a superstar, if you wanna be the best receiver in the NFL, you can never be disengaged. It doesn’t matter if the game is going your way or not going your way, you can’t just disappear in these games or else you’re not going to have impact.
“You can’t be the guy and half-a**ed it. I’m sorry, you just can’t. It’s unacceptable.
“If you’re the Dallas Cowboys and you’re looking at him and you’re looking at paying him big time receiver money, you’ve gotta look at this tape and say ‘hey, is this a guy that we can trust paying him $40 million to show up regardless of circumstance?’ I don’t know.”
Pickens is in a contract year
Entering the TNF contest against the Lions, Pickens had already racked up a career-high 1,142 yards and 8 touchdowns from 73 receptions on the season.
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This saw Pickens touted as a key reason why Dallas were tipped to be the NFL’s Super Bowl dark horses, providing they won enough games to clinch a wildcard spot at the very minimum, especially with NFC East leaders and reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles having struggled of late.
With the young wide receiver playing in the final year of his rookie deal, making just $3.6 million this season, all signs indicated that there was mutual interest between Pickens and the Cowboys on committing to a long-term future.
His performances alone suggested that he could command a salary that would see him be among the highest-paid receivers in the league.
However, as it stands, the Cowboys have the least projected salary-cap space in the NFL in 2026, which has led to reports that the team may place a $28 million franchise tag on the receiver for next season to delay extension talks for a longer-term deal.
After his rough five-reception, 37-yard outing from nine targets against the Lions, though, there is no telling what the Cowboys’ stance on Pickens – who has already been benched by the team this season, alongside Lamb for poor behavior – now is.
Despite Prescott throwing for 376 yards and a touchdown from 31-of-47 passing, the Cowboys fall to 6-6-1 on the season.
This puts them very much on the outside looking in in the current playoff picture, on the bubble in 10th place chasing that final wildcard spot with a Sunday Night Football clash against the Minnesota Vikings next up on the bill.
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