Ryan Clark apologizes for 'jumping the gun' on George Pickens trade reaction: 'I'm disappointed in myself'

In the aftermath of George Pickens’ trade to the Dallas Cowboys, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark shared his reaction on ESPN. He evaluated the trad and why his former team moved on from the former Georgia receiver.

During his appearances, Clark spoke about potential concerns about Pickens’ personality. However, after processing it all, he issued an apology for that way of thinking.

Clark apologized not only to Pickens, but also to coach Mike Tomlin – both of whom he felt he “slighted” while on Get Up. He instead noted it was likely a business decision to trade Pickens to Dallas considering he’s in the last year of his rookie contract.

I jumped the gun this morning on George Pickens. I immediately jumped to the low hanging fruit that the Steelers traded the ultra talented receiver because of his behavior, but that’s disrespectful on two fronts. It would actually be an indictment on George Pickens and Mike… pic.twitter.com/UdxufZqa9u

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) May 8, 2025

“I’m disappointed in myself today,” Clark said. “This morning, I wasn’t supposed to work on Get Up, but I found out that George Pickens was going to be traded to the Dallas Cowboys. And immediately, my groupthink and my thought was, ‘Damn, somebody so talented, they must be tired of dealing with the personality.’ And I fell into the same thing that all the people who actually don’t know this kid falls into, and I also felt like I slighted George and I slighted Mike T – Mike T, who doesn’t run away from coaching. Mike T, who doesn’t run away from grooming. Mike T, who doesn’t run away from bringing players along. It’s almost like I said he gave up on a player.

“And George Pickens, who I’ve talked to, I’ve had conversations, I’ve been around. Someone who does have a good spirit. Someone who does have good energy. Somebody who honestly is a good dude. Now, there are things that when you watch the film or you watch the games, you have to be able to assess and say that can’t happen. You have to be able to assess and say, ‘You can’t do those things and be a leader. You can’t do those things and continue to help a team to build.’ But for me to jump to the conclusion right away, that was the reason he’s no longer there, that’s unfair to the organization I love and to a player I admire.”

Ryan Clark: George Pickens trade was ‘business decision’

Pickens appeared in 14 games last season as he missed some time with an injury. During that time, he hauled in 59 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns as a key piece of the Steelers’ passing attack. That came after an impressive second year in the NFL in 2023 when he had a career-high 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. His 18.1 yards per reception led the league that season.

However, the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf this offseason and signed him to a lucrative contract extension. That deal, Ryan Clark noted, could have been a reason to move on from Pickens because of salary cap concerns down the road.

“I mean, what if it’s because DK is there now, and you paid him $100-plus million, and now you also can’t pay George?” Clark said. “Or who’s going to actually get the ball to both of these men, and who’s the quarterback going to be? So when I got the chance to sit down and sort of re-calibrate what I thought, this is a football move.

“This is a business decision. This isn’t about George Pickens being too difficult to coach or Coach Tomlin running from coaching.”