George Pickens Says Joining CeeDee Lamb on Cowboys Is 'Like Mario Bros'

George Pickens referenced a beloved video game while speaking about the potential upside of his wideout pairing with CeeDee Lamb on Thursday.

"Oh yeah, for sure," Pickens told reporters when asked if he and Lamb could become the top receiver duo in the sport. "Just different type of styles of play. A lot of people over the years got different styles of play, but CeeDee's a certain type of guy, then I'm a certain type of guy. So, when you mesh that together, it's like Mario Bros. We definitely can do something special."

There is a subtle, unintended irony in Pickens choosing the duo of Mario and Luigi, given that Mario is one of the most beloved and culturally significant video game characters of all time, and Luigi is generally overshadowed.

That mirrors one of the concerns when pairing two excellent receivers on the same team—will one eventually grow a bit unhappy in a diminished role?

Lamb is clearly the Mario in this scenario. The four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro had a bit of a down season in 2024, and that still resulted in 101 catches for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns.

"I feel like the league knows what happens when I'm healthy and have Dak [Prescott] healthy for a full season," Lamb told reporters Thursday. "But if you don't, I will happily show you what it's going to be like this year."

Pickens, meanwhile, will enter Dallas in the Luigi role. Stylistically, he should be a great fit with Lamb, who is a fantastic route-runner and possession receiver and will soak up a ton of targets, while Pickens is more of a downfield threat and should stretch defenses vertically. Lamb has never finished a season with fewer than 111 targets, while Pickens has never reached that mark in his three years.

But Pickens was the top threat in Pittsburgh's passing game, and that won't be the case in Dallas. And he clearly wore out his welcome with the Steelers—teams don't generally trade talented receivers on rookie contracts otherwise. What happens if he suddenly realizes just how much of a sidekick Luigi truly is and grows unhappy in Dallas as well?

The Cowboys are hoping the duo has enough success, and are each happy enough and productive in their distinct roles, that those issues never arise. Pickens and Lamb have publicly seemed thrilled about joining forces and talked theoretically about being joint No. 1s in Dallas. The reality of game-planning and disparate talent often leads to a more stratified pecking order, and ego often determines how happy both parties are once that happens.

Luigis aren't always happy to be Luigis, in other words. Time will tell where Pickens truly stands on the matter.