Carl Pickens

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pickens attended Murphy High School in Murphy, North Carolina. He played free safety and wide receiver, intercepting 15 passes in three seasons and catching 71 passes, including 24 for touchdowns, as a senior, when he was a Parade magazine All-American. He also returned punts and kickoffs, and punted. He excelled at basketball, averaging 27 points per game. In college at Tennessee, he started as a safety and was named a Freshman All-American and All-SEC selection. He moved to wide receiver, catching 109 passes for 1,875 yards and 13 touchdowns, and made the College Football All-America Team as a junior. He did not return for his senior year. In 2023, he was inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame. He was selected in the second round (31st overall) of the 1992 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 1992 season. In Week 3 against the Packers, he had a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown. He recorded 26 receptions for 326 yards and one touchdown in 16 games and ten starts as a rookie. For the 1992 season, he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In the 1995 season, he set a Bengals record for receptions in a single season with 99, and touchdown catches with 17. He totaled 1,234 receiving yards on the year. He later surpassed his own record by recording 100 receptions in 1996. From 1994 to 1995, Pickens became the first NFL player to record at least five receptions and a receiving touchdown in eight straight games. In his nine NFL seasons, Pickens recorded 540 receptions for 7,129 yards and 63 touchdowns, while also gaining another 307 yards and one touchdown on punt returns. His 63 touchdown receptions were a franchise record until surpassed by Chad Johnson in 2010. He is also known for the 'Carl Pickens Clause', a loyalty clause that the Bengals created and added to his contract which would cause him to forfeit all or some of his signing bonus if he insulted the organization in public. Pickens signed a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans on July 31, 2000. With the Titans, he had his first winning season and his first playoff appearance. He finished the regular season with ten receptions for 242 yards in nine games and six starts. On April 5, 2001, Pickens signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. He announced his retirement

In Their Own Story

In Week 3 of his rookie season against the Packers, Pickens returned a punt for a 95-yard touchdown, showcasing his versatility beyond receiving. By Week 8 of the 1993 season against the Oilers, he recorded seven receptions for 127 yards, marking his first game with over 100 yards in the NFL. The 1995 season featured a remarkable five-game streak where Pickens scored a touchdown to start the year, bookended by a three-touchdown performance against the Dolphins. In Week 13 of the 1996 season, he erupted for 11 receptions, 176 yards, and three touchdowns in a 41–31 victory over the Falcons, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He followed this with another three-touchdown game against the Jaguars. Later, in Week 5 of the 1998 season, he caught 13 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown in a win over the Steelers, securing another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

Reader's Guide

Carl Pickens played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1992 to 1999, then for the Tennessee Titans in 2000, and signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2001 before retiring. He was a wide receiver and also returned punts. Key achievements: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1992), Bengals single-season records for receptions (99 in 1995, later 100 in 1996) and touchdown catches (17 in 1995), and the first NFL player with at least five receptions and a receiving touchdown in eight straight games (1994–1995). He was inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.

Did You Know?

• Pickens had a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown in Week 3 of his rookie season against the Packers.
• He set a Bengals record with 17 touchdown catches in the 1995 season.
• The 'Carl Pickens Clause' was a loyalty clause in his Bengals contract that could forfeit his signing bonus if he insulted the organization publicly.
• Pickens was a Parade magazine All-American in high school and averaged 27 points per game in basketball.