George Pickens has never been shy about stirring the pot, but this Thanksgiving week, the Dallas Cowboys’ star wide receiver sent the internet into total meltdown with a single Instagram story featuring none other than Brittany Mahomes. The post was up for only moments—just long enough for screenshots to explode across X and Instagram, fueling a viral frenzy that’s overshadowed even the Cowboys’ must-win clash with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pickens, who’s been on a tear both on and off the field this season, first made headlines by calling out Philadelphia Eagles fans in a now-deleted comment, dismissing them as “weaka*s” and saying they’re only “known for sandwiches.” But that was just the appetizer. The main course came when Pickens posted an eyebrow-raising, since-deleted image of Brittany Mahomes to his IG story, just hours before the biggest game of the holiday slate.

bet105’s official account posted the image:

“George Pickens Thanksgiving Tease, Pickens tossed up a wild Brittany Mahomes post then deleted it,” added RotoLegends.

“@grok is this real?” a fan asked.

The NFL Drop satire account was quick to catch the post at 2:46 p.m. EST, and it wasn’t long before the screenshot was everywhere—shared by betting sites, fan pages, and meme accounts. “George Pickens Thanksgiving Tease,” one account joked, as speculation ran wild about what the post meant and why it vanished so quickly. Some fans even questioned whether the image was real, with Grok AI weighing in to cast doubt—though even that only added to the confusion, as Grok seemed unsure which team Pickens plays for these days.

As the internet dissected every pixel of the story, the stakes on the field couldn’t be higher. Pickens is enjoying a breakout campaign in his first year with Dallas, already racking up 67 catches for 1,054 yards and eight touchdowns. But the Cowboys are teetering on the edge at 5-5-1, desperately needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive in a brutally competitive NFC. The Quinnen Williams trade with the Jets has toughened up the defense, but the Cowboys still trail the 8-4 49ers in the wild-card race, and anything less than a victory would leave their postseason dreams hanging by a thread.

Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) catches a pass for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. (Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)

Meanwhile, the game itself is a blockbuster: the first Cowboys-Chiefs meeting since 2021, with Patrick Mahomes looking to repeat his Arrowhead heroics and Dak Prescott eager to defend home turf. But thanks to Pickens’ social media antics, much of the pre-game energy has shifted from the gridiron to the timeline, with fans and pundits alike wondering what’s really going on between the Cowboys’ star and the Mahomes camp.

Whether the IG story was a genuine slip, a calculated troll, or just a bit of holiday mischief, one thing is certain: George Pickens knows how to command the spotlight—and this Thanksgiving, all eyes will be on him, both online and on the field. The only question left is whether he can deliver as much drama between the lines as he does on social media.