George Pickens Posted in Support of Ex-Steelers Teammate After Big Win Over Ravens

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In the months since the Steelers traded away top receiver George Pickens, much has been made about the receiver's allegedly fraught relationship with the team. The 24-year-old was always a bit temperamental in the locker room, though the belief was that coach Mike Tomlin had it under control. But the trade, for which the Steelers received a 2026 third and fifth-round pick in return, made it seem like Pittsburgh had tired of Pickens's behavior and was ready for a fresh start, despite his talent.
Though it was initially reported that sending Pickens to the Cowboys was a Tomlin decision, Pickens also later claimed he "forced" the team to trade him, contradicting his earlier statement that the deal was "out of my control." And we haven't heard much from either party since then.
But on Monday, Pickens re-shared a post from the NFL highlighting Steelers receiver Calvin Austin III's clutch go-ahead touchdown in Pittsburgh's winner-take-all AFC North showdown vs. the Ravens last Sunday. He also added some music to the highlight to make it look even cooler.
Take a peek at that below:
Pickens on IG showing support 🥹🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/zZzJeGZxIW
— Dani 🖤💛 (@yourrrfavdani) January 5, 2026
In the absence of much else from either side of the purported rift, it's nice to see Pickens reminiscing on his time with the Steelers and showing some love for his former teammates. Goes to show that even if his relationship with the front office is rocky, he's still got a bond with (or, at the very least, a respect for) the guys on the roster.
Despite the receiver's incredible first year down in Dallas, where he recorded the third-most receiving yards in the NFL (1,429), the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs, probably because their defense was historically bad. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has entered the field as the No. 4 seed in the AFC and will host the Texans in the wild-card round on Monday night.
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Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.