Richard Sherman rips George Pickens after TNF vs. Lions: 'You can't just disappear in these games'

The Dallas Cowboys’ playoff hopes took a hit Thursday night with a TNF loss to the Detroit Lions. Dallas mounted a charge in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Detroit came away with the 44-30 victory at Ford Field.

Afterward, Prime Video analyst Richard Sherman pointed out the biggest storyline he saw from the game. He called out Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens on the postgame show and didn’t hold back about his performance.

Pickens had five catches for just 37 yards in the effort, marking his second-lowest output of the year even though CeeDee Lamb left with a concussion and was quickly ruled out. Sherman said Pickens looked “uninterested” throughout the game, which was especially notable considering the standout receiver is looking for a new contract.

“The big story here is George Pickens,” Sherman said. “George Pickens throughout the game, especially late in the game just looked uninterested. Uninterested in playing football. That’s what you can’t have. If you’re gonna be a superstar, if you want to be the best receiver in the NFL, you can’t ever be disengaged. It doesn’t matter if the game’s going your way or not going your way.

“You can’t just disappear in these games or else you’re not gonna have impact. … You’re the guy, CeeDee Lamb is not in this game, he’s out. … You can’t be the guy and half-ass it. I’m sorry. … It’s unacceptable, and if you’re the Dallas Cowboys, and you’re looking at him and you’re looking to pay him big time receiver money, $40M, you gotta look at this tape and say, hey is this a guy we can trust paying $40M to show up regardless of circumstance, and I don’t know.”

Pickens is in the midst of a huge debut season in Dallas after coming over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He entered Thursday’s game with 73 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, stepping up in a big way when Lamb was down with an injury earlier in the year.

In the process, Pickens likely put himself in position for a solid payday. ESPN’s Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler even reported a source said Pickens “ain’t leaving” this offseason.

“Multiple league sources predict Pickens will shoot for a massive number based on his play — quite possibly in the $30 million-and-up range that nine different receivers occupy,” Archer and Fowler wrote. “Some around the league are uncertain whether Dallas would acquiesce, given the franchise tag of roughly $27 million to $28 million is well under that total.

“That would open up the possibility of Pickens skipping the offseason program and training camp if he and the club are unable to reach a long-term agreement by July 15, 2026. The early signs are that Dallas is not afraid of the franchise tag number. ‘He ain’t leaving,’ a team source predicted.’”