George Pickens gave his Dallas Cowboys teammates a laugh during a recent group trip to Utah, and the clip had all the ingredients: a bad swing, immediate roasting and a quick redemption.
Pickens and several Cowboys players hit the golf course together while out in Utah, and when it was his turn to tee off, he completely whiffed on the ball. The reaction came fast from his teammates, with quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Sam Howell stepping in with advice once the laughter settled down.
"G, listen, you're trying to hit it too hard. Just hit it smooth," quarterback Dak Prescott said.
"Just look at the back of the ball, G. Just look at the back of the ball," Howell added.
Pickens answered the first swing with a much better one on his next try, and he let his teammates know he liked the result.
"That s*** more like it right there," Pickens said after hitting his shot. "Sky that to the moon."
CeeDee Lamb, meanwhile, could barely keep it together watching the whole thing unfold, and the video showed just how hard the Cowboys were laughing at the moment.
The Utah trip also included Prescott, Lamb and other Cowboys players, with the golf clip becoming the most memorable piece of it.
On the field, Pickens had a big 2025 season with Dallas, putting up career highs across the board: 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Even with that production, the Cowboys did not give him a long-term deal. Instead, they used the franchise tag and did not even offer him an extension.
The team had its reasons. Pickens has long carried a reputation for being mercurial, and Dallas clearly wasn’t ready to lock itself into a major commitment after only one season of what the source described as good behavior.
There was also no holdout drama. Pickens signed his franchise tag quickly, said nothing publicly about the situation, and showed up for mandatory minicamp and training camp.
"Uh, no, I'm definitely here now," he said. "Like I said, the group of guys that's with the Cowboys kind of prevents you [from holding out].
If you know guys, and are going to guys' house[s], you're talking. I talk to Dak [Prescott].
I'm still throwing with Dak. He's definitely gonna make you not want to hold out."
That may have been a strong first step, but it does not guarantee a payday. Dallas still has to decide whether it wants to put a massive chunk of its salary cap into two receivers, since CeeDee Lamb already has a major contract and will be due for another one relatively soon.
Because of that, Pickens could wind up playing somewhere else after this season. The Cowboys might choose to tag and trade him next offseason if they decide the price of keeping both wideouts is simply too steep.
And if that happens, Dallas fans may lose more than a talented receiver. They might also lose the unforgettable golf swing that turned a team outing into a viral moment.
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