George Pickens Throws His Helmet in Frustration After Cowboys’ Embarrassing Loss to Winless Bucs at Home

George Pickens smashed his helmet after the Cowboys lost their third game in five weeks.

George Pickens Throws His Helmet in Frustration After Cowboys’ Embarrassing Loss to Winless Bucs at Home

George Pickens vents his frustration after the Cowboys lost to the Buccaneers on TNF (Image via IMAGO/X)

George Pickens channeled how every Dallas Cowboys supporter felt after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night. Cameras caught Pickens smashing his helmet after the final whistle.

After a monster first season with the Cowboys, many projected Pickens to take an even bigger jump in 2026. But the connection with quarterback Dak Prescott has been missing.

Pickens has yet to catch double-digit passes in a single game. He caught 7 in Week 3’s Brazil game against the Baltimore Ravens. Moreover, he didn’t find the back of the endzone in any of those games.

Well, there’s a simple reason behind Pickens’ drop in production. Prescott has targeted CeeDee Lamb more. Lamb recorded three back-to-back 100-yard games. Last week in Houston, he caught 17 passes for 189 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Prescott highlighted that the Texans’ defense focused on marking Pickens, which freed up Lamb. The opposite happened on Thursday Night. Pickens created better separation against the Buccaneers.

The 25-year-old scored the Cowboys’ only receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter. What followed was a travesty. Prescott threw his second interception, and the Cowboys failed to capitalize on a Tampa Bay punt. Dallas lost 24-16. Cameras caught a frustrated George Pickens smashing his helmet on the sidelines.

Over five games, Pickens caught 27 passes for 355 yards and 1 touchdown.

Pickens has every right to be angry. After a long time, he was playing up top as the main man, and the team blew a very winnable game. The Buccaneers were winless at kickoff and 8.5-point underdogs, which is obscene.

Several key starters did not travel with them to Arlington. A thumb injury kept out star quarterback Baker Mayfield. Rookie Jalon Daniels stepped in for the Pro Bowl signal caller. The former Kansas Jayhawk threw one touchdown and set up a couple more on the ground.

The defense also did its job. It forced two turnovers and limited the Cowboys to 20 minutes of possession. This performance may have saved Todd Bowles’ job.

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Jerry Jones provided an update on George Pickens’ future with the Cowboys

Pickens may be playing for the Cowboys for now, but unless the team qualifies for the playoffs, they might lose him in free agency. That’s because after racking up 1429 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2025, the Cowboys placed a franchise tag on the former second-round draft pick. He is slated to earn $27 million for the 2026 season.

George Pickens Throws His Helmet in Frustration After Cowboys' Embarrassing Loss to Winless Bucs at Home
#3 Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

Pickens will become an FA unless the Cowboys extend him or place a second franchise tag on him. They have done it before with Prescott, so owner/general manager Jerry Jones will not shy away from repeating the same with Pickens.

Pickens will not be the only player up for an extension at season’s end. Recent recruit DB Joey Porter Jr. is also waiting for his extension. When reporters asked Jones about how he will handle both players, the veteran owner said he has a plan in motion. Jones told Jon Machota of The Athletic:

We have great agreements. The agreements are in place so that I don’t even have to talk about a question like that. I’m not at all perturbed by the question but we’ve got that put to bed in terms of their business one way or the other. Now, I wouldn’t answer as to whether or not we visit about any of their business during the season other than how they’re playing or how they’re gonna play.

Porter Jr. missed the Bucs game due to illness. Meanwhile, Lamb left the game in the fourth quarter after picking up a quad injury. Lamb caught only two passes for 9 yards.

The Cowboys acquired Pickens in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones parted ways with a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

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