NOVEMBER 20: Lamb revealed on Thursday (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) that he and Pickens were disciplined for missing curfew the night before the game. The two were out late at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
NOVEMBER 18: Dallas rolled to a 33-16 win in Las Vegas on Monday, but the game started oddly for the Cowboys. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer left the Cowboys’ top two wide receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, on the bench for the team’s first offensive series. Both players ended up making major contributions in the Cowboys’ victory, but it was initially unclear why they didn’t start.
Owner Jerry Jones addressed the situation afterward (links via Jon Machota of The Athletic), saying Schottenheimer’s decision “had to do with meeting type discipline.” Jones added that Lamb and Pickens “had a late problem there.”
Lamb declined to discuss the matter on Monday, while Pickens said the brief benching had to do with “certain personnel” (via Machota).
Regardless of what exactly happened, it quickly became water under the bridge for Schottenheimer. The first-year HC was effusive when speaking about the receiving tandem after the game (via Todd Archer of ESPN).
Schottenheimer said that “[Lamb and Pickens] literally jump-started the offense when they got back in. They didn’t hang their heads, didn’t do any of that stuff. That’s why I love those guys, man.”
Lamb had a strong night, catching five passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Pickens produced all-world numbers with nine grabs, 144 yards, and a score. They accounted for more than half of quarterback Dak Prescott‘s 25 completions and 210 of his 268 passing yards.
The Cowboys already have Lamb under wraps for the next few seasons, having signed the star WR1 to a four-year, $136MM extension in August 2024. Pickens’ future is up in the air, though, as he remains on track to reach free agency in the offseason.
Pickens had some behind-the-scenes issues, including with punctuality, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers then decided to move on from Pickens in the offseason, trading him and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
Aside from Schottenheimer’s minor disciplinary measure on Monday, there hasn’t been any reported drama involving Pickens since he got to Dallas. On the field, the 24-year-old is easily on pace for the best season of his career. He ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards (908), tied for third in TDs (seven), and 11th in catches (58).
Pickens is playing his way into a sizable multiyear contract, especially if he hits the open market. However, the Cowboys could place the franchise tag on Pickens if they don’t reach an agreement before March. That would cost around $29MM, and it’s reportedly an avenue the Cowboys will strongly consider. Jones seems prepared to keep Pickens one way or other.
Asked if the Cowboys could build a balanced roster with Lamb, Pickens, and a $60MM defensive tackle trio (Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark) eating up an enormous amount of cap space, Jones told 105.3 The Fan, “Yes. Yes.”
The Cowboys will enter the offseason needing to clear out roughly $47MM just to get back to even, per Over the Cap. While Jones seems unfazed, he’ll have work to do to open up spending room to retain Pickens and address other needs on the roster.
They looked pretty good on both sides of the ball last night*
*-Raiders
Don’t the Cowboys have a lot of cap space currently that will roll over to next year? Is that factored in already?
Regardless, that Osa Odighizuwa contract looks pretty bad after trading for Clark and Williams…
He played 40 snaps and had a sack and a TFL last night. It wouldn’t be too hard to trade one of those guys, but it’s not like a team can’t play all three a substantial amount.
It’s just bad resource management.
I mean, the Parsons and Williams trades were worse resource management than the Odighizuwa contract, and I say that as a big Quinnen fan.
Jurry will disagree. That’s why he traded Parsons. Jurry thinks he’s a smart football mind.
Well, they cannot trade Clark inside the division, not that they probably would anyways.
That “poison pill” clause in the Parsons trade was pretty cool. It was the first I had ever heard anything about that, or at least the first I can recall.
The poison pill prohibits them from trading Clark to the NFC north, not the east.
Parsons has the no trade to nfc east, think specially the eagles. their comment just misspoke in the beginning i assume. def wasn’t an auto correct instance
Yea but it depends. Certain benchmarks need to be met by the teams spending it doesn’t just rollover.
Franchise tag. Try to make one last run next year. Then time to tear down if it doesn’t work.
Sounds easy peasy squeezy to me egh?!
One LAST run? Has there been a run?
The run Im referring too, is with Dak. Sir
I’m honestly not even trying to be a jerk I’m just trying to understand Cowboys fans ways of thinking. I’m an Eagles fan and as much as I loved Donovan McNabb, he fell so short so many times and I never tried to act like he was better than he was. If I had a QB on my roster who was 2-5 in the playoffs over a 9 year span I would have wanted him out in year 6. I guess I just don’t understand the passionate love for someone who has been incredibly mediocre and maybe even bad. I don’t want to hear about passing stats and all that it literally means nothing towards winning it’s only for fantasy football which also means nothing. We play football to win games and win championships. So why are so many Cowboy fans so obsessed with a perpetual loser? I think we can agree McNabb accomplished far more and honestly I don’t like him. And wanted him out a couple years before it finally happened. Cuz I wanted to see my team actually win a Super Bowl. Lastly, before you blame the defense or the rest of the team for those playoff games, do you honestly feel like in those 5 early exits that Dak played to his best?
Dak is the god of putting uo big numbers when they don’t matter. Any time a QB puts up a bunch of garbage time stats, I call them “Prescott Yards” lol.
to me, Lamar and Dak are the empty calorie kings of the NFL. Good for their stats, good for their fantasy owners, but they mean literally NOTHING. I would HATE if the Eagles had a QB who was like that. They’d never survive Philly. I’m just shocked more fan bases aren’t more demanding out of their QBs in that sense, but I guess to each their own.
Hasn’t Lamar been to a couple of AFC championship games?
Yes. He went to 1 the year they got the 1 seed and were fortunate enough to play one of those regular season Cinderella’s in the Houston Texans (we’ve seen what that team turned into since. They were the 23 version of last years Commanders) and got into an AFC championship game and lost. I mentioned in my post that I don’t think he plays BAD in the playoffs. I’m saying he plays below his ceiling in the playoffs. His team relies on him to be at his very best. Even an average game from him is crippling and that’s what he’s done. Most of his jaw dropping plays happen in very meaningless moments or games. I’m sorry but fantasy sports has ruined what people think a good football player and team is. The stats help tell a story of how something is accomplished, that’s it. Every game has different circumstances. It is not the complete barometer of what is a good player/team and what’s not, the W/L column is. So I just think people need to be real about Lamar. He’s a good QB, but this stuff about being elite, I can’t call guys who shrink in bigger moments elite. Our standard of elite needs to change. His playoff record is 3-5 btw
Unreal that this guy has played himself into such a big second contract. I really thought that bad attitude might doom him, but good on him for proving me wrong. The talent was always there. Wish it had been the Bills who had rolled the dice.
Pickens had his first brush with the team that Schotty jumped on immediately. Doesnt need any more incidents.
I used to care…About the NFL, NFL Players and the Raiders…then the Cowboys, Lions, Bills….but I couldn’t care less these days
Then why read about the NFL? Just curious. Not slamming.
Did you come to a site entirely dedicated to the NFL by accident then?
Coaches pushing back…
My 4 year old grand daughter can push harder than that…lol. Any HC that calls that discipline is just embarrassing himself.
They should’ve been suspended for the first half and fined.
There’s a dark side to this Pickens “feel good story”
Contract negotiations are going to hang entirely on his performance and, thus far, he’d be more than reasonable wanting a Lamb contract.
Show of hands from those that think Jerry is going to agree with that assessment.
Too bad for Pickens he isn’t a Cowboys QB.
When AB left the Steelers for similar reasons, he looked all-world, and they looked silly for moving him. I wish GP all the luck in the world, but it’s not “if”, rather “when” he will implode. If some team gives him a hefty contract, they will regret it.
Sorry, but George Pickens is George Pickens. He’s not Antonio Brown. He’s not Diontae Johnson. He is his own person. Just because someone played WR in Pittsburgh and had issues, it doesn’t turn them into the same issues as his predecessors.
Pickens doesn’t beat on women, doesn’t drag race, doesn’t seem to have a drug or drinking problem. He’s not a homicidal maniac like Aaron Hernandez was. Yeah, he’s had some maturity issues, but he’s not even 25 yet (the age when the human brain finishes developing ). Young men tend to be immature during those years, which is why their car insurance is so expensive.
GP’s issues have been minor. His biggest issue in the first Pittsburgh seemed to be subpar QB play (see Brown, AJ). The Steelers provided him with a murderers row of mediocre QBs, five in total in three years, and he was unhappy with it.
You talk with a certainty that is misplaced. There were many here who declared that Pickens would act out once he had to share the spotlight with CeeDee Lamb. They were certain of it. Instead, he has flourished in Dallas and by all accounts has been a great teammate.
He may have problems down the road, and he may not. However, none of his problems to date have been all that alarming. Dallas would be foolish if they didn’t re-sign him.
Antonio Brown wasn’t Antonio Brown early on, he just kept on with the antics and doing his own thing. Super talented, but he’s been a problem. He came to Dallas with a rep, and he’s only continuing it.
Pickens’ problems have been minor. Missing one curfew is hardly “continuing it”.
They were out with Aaa Bee Sheep.