The Dallas Cowboys open up the 2026 NFL season against their hated NFC East foe, the New York Giants. As if the Cowboys needed more fuel to take down their division rival, which they have subdued for seasons on end now, the trash talk, no matter how silly it is, is already coming in hot.
Giants cornerback Greg Newsome II felt pretty confident last week, declaring that New York had the best cornerback room in the league. That is a check that everyone listening, and even he, knows he can't cash. But perhaps his history with George Pickens has blinded him or riled him up too much.
Once bitter opponents in the AFC North, Newsome II has now followed Pickens to the NFC and will face off against him in Week 1. Although he recognizes the greatness of both Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, Newsome II couldn't prevent himself from making an empty promise to Big Blue fans.
"Definitely great players, but I like our chances."Greg Newsome II on Cowboys' WRs
It's a good thing you do, Greg, because nobody else does. And clearly, Pickens isn't the player you remember.
Cowboys' George Pickens and Giants' Greg Newsome II have a history
Early in his career, Newsome II looked like one of the league's next great corners. Short of earning individual accolades, the Northwestern product put together a solid first three seasons in the NFL before falling on hard times in the last two years and flaming out with two teams in 2025.
Around that same time, Pickens was a young receiver across the AFC North, putting up very good but not quite great production yet, and he was trying to distnace himself from the negative stigma that he wasn't mature or a high-effort player. And the two got into it, both physically and in the media.
On the last play of a Week 12 game in 2024 between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, Newsome II's and Pickens' former teams, respectively, the two players got into a physical altercation after Newsome II had been badgering Pickens all game.
Pickens was asked about this weeks later and told reporters that he "didn't know" who Newsome II even was. Of course, Newsome II took exception to this and said that Pickens wasn't a team player, that he only "cares about himself." Those are strong words to exchange through reporters.
It's not like one player was dominating the other, as they each had their wins. In five games against the Browns, Pickens totaled 18 catches for 324 yards and two touchdowns, which is good but not always game-altering production. Newsome II mustered just a pair of PBUs and some tackles.
George Pickens is not the player that Greg Newsome II remembers
This is a spirited rivalry between two feisty players with colorful personalities, but Newsome II is in for a rude awakening if he thinks that Steelers Pickens is the same player as Cowboys Pickens. The still-young wideout took a massive leap in his first year in Dallas, and Newsome II hasn't seen that yet.
After averaging just south of 1,000 receiving yards per season in three years with Pittsburgh and catching just 12 total touchdowns, Pickens exploded last year with the Cowboys, even alongside Lamb, for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns.
However, Newsome II went from a player with 14 PBUs in 2023 alone to just 14 across the last two seasons. He wasn't extended, and instead has his fifth-year option picked up by the Browns, but was shipped off to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who didn't want him back after a 12-game sample size.
Simply put, whereas Pickens is ascending and trending toward a $40 million contract, Newsome II has regressed and signed for just $8 million this year in New York. Newsome II can have his fun and talk his crap, but this isn't much of a rivalry anymore. That'll show on the field in Week 1.
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