NFL fines George Pickens for unsportsmanlike conduct vs. Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens has been fined $17,389 by the NFL for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pickens received the penalty after making a catch in the fourth quarter after making a catch and holding the ball out to Cardinals defensive back Denzel Burke after the play.

Pickens quickly corrected himself and handed the ball to the official, but it was too late as the flag was thrown. ESPN commentator Troy Aikman spoke on the call during Monday night’s broadcast.

“That’s a point of emphasis for this league,” Aikman said. “It doesn’t seem like much (but) the players know that’s a costly penalty.”

The NFL fined Cowboys WR George Pickens $17,389 for unsportsmanlike conduct — holding the ball toward Cardinals CB Denzel Burke on Monday night. Pickens was also flagged.

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— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 8, 2025

This marks the third time that Pickens has been fined this season. The Cowboys receiver was previously fined $14,491 after celebrating with teammate CeeDee Lamb during a Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants. He was also fined $11,593 in Week 7 against the Washington Commanders for taunting cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

That brings the total amount of fines to $43,473 for Pickens this season. Adding insult to injury, the Cowboys lost Monday evening contest against Arizona by a score of 27-17 to fall to 3-5-1 on the season.

This year is Pickens’ first with the Cowboys after he played the first three seasons of his pro careers with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So far he has 49 catches for 764 yards and six touchdowns through nine games.

Overall, Pickens has been fined 14 times in the first four seasons of his NFL career for a total of about $181,953, according to Spotrac. He’ll hope to limit those fines going forward the rest of this season as Dallas looks to make a push to get into the postseason. The Cowboys have a bye this week before moving on to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 17.

George Pickens reveals thoughts on timeline for potential contract with Cowboys

Pickens is in the final year of his rookie deal, which means he is playing for a potential extension with the Cowboys after this season. Earlier this month, Pickens discussed playing with the Cowboys beyond 2025.

“I wouldn’t mind it,” Pickens said, per Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com. “The guys in the locker room are super cool, the energy’s great, but like I said, I always want to showcase my talents.”

Around the same time, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shared his thoughts on Pickens’ future with the team. “We’ll weigh that,” he said. “We knew full well that if things really went like we want them to go, that certainly we need to think about having some room available if we’re going to pay a second receiver at that level.”

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this report.