By the time George Pickens was dealt, it hardly came as a surprise given the chatter surrounding a trade from the Steelers. The Cowboys acquired him last week, but not because they won a wide-ranging bidding war. 
Few teams showed interest in the pending free agent receiver, Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show reports. Acquiring Pickens as a one-year rental would have provided a boost to the passing attack of any number of suitors, but the cost of doing so would be weighed against the off-field concerns which played a key role in Pittsburgh’s decision to move on. Pickens is eligible to sign a long-term pact with Dallas, but he is not focused on that right now.
Kaboly adds the Steelers were not prepared to accept anything less than a third-round pick for Pickens; Dallas originally offered a fourth-rounder but eventually met that asking price while also swapping seventh-round picks in 2027. In spite of that marginal return relative to the 24-year-old’s on-field abilities, his absence is not expected to be an issue moving forward. Per Kaboly, multiple Steelers players became “fed up” with Pickens over the course of his three years in Pittsburgh to the point they saw retaining him as something which could be “counterproductive.”
When addressing the trade, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said the agreement with Dallas came about in short order after the draft. Selecting a rookie receiver was seen by many as a Cowboys priority, and the team did indeed have a number of prospects on its radar at the position. In the end, though, Dallas elected to take the highest-rated players at other spots during the opening rounds, thus waiting until the post-draft period to explore a receiver addition via trade.
“We had a nice list of guys that we were looking at, comparing that to what was available in the draft, and giving up the pick versus picking one,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And as you know, when you pick a receiver in the draft, you get him for a good number for four years, so obviously that was one of the routes we were looking at hard.”
For now, Pickens represents a one-year investment as a wideout to complement CeeDee Lamb. The latter is attached to a $34MM-per-year pact, so finding cost-effective receivers is key for Dallas. Pickens has amassed over 2,800 yards and scored 12 touchdowns to date in his career, one which has been spent on less-than-stellar Steelers offenses. A strong showing with his new team could put the Georgia product on track for a notable payday next spring, but improvement with respect to the factors driving his trade would no doubt be required as well.
Who’s the next Pittsburgh’s WR that will be a problem. With a horrible quarterback room and a run first offense, Metcalf probably won’t be happy
I was mistaken in thinking that for Metcalf to sign here, there must have been some understanding about who the QB was going to be. Either I was wrong and it was a simple huge payday/no brainer signing or the front office sure bungled the QB situation here. Maybe it’s a combination of both
He didn’t sign he was traded.
He signed an extension immediately after the trade
If he can avoid saying stupid things for one season he’ll make an EXTRA $100,000,000 on his next deal.
My bet is that he was traded because he was unwilling or unable to even try and said so when asked by Tomlin or teammates.
I still think they did really well getting a third – for at best a guy you extend with some concern or at best a rental.
(Maybe I got that reversed?)
I think its a big win for Pittsburgh. The essentially got better by flipping a 2 for a 3 (DK trade) and some change.
I really think this is a smart move for Pittsburgh.
I think so too personally. What’d everyone expect a first and the rights to a cowboys first born child? Who knows what Pickens even does this season
It was always going to be the Raiders or the Cowboys.
Would have better to get a pick this year, but they did well enough.
I don’t know man…Pittsburgh and Tomlin keep drafting these WRs and then a couple years later they say they can’t coach them…they are too difficult…they are a problem…
Well maybe u should do a better job scouting these players out of college…
There has to be some blame on the Steelers side for this…it just can’t be the players.
I think the team has a pretty good track record on WRs that Pittsburgh gave up on.
They are far less productive after leaving.
True, but they keep flipping them for good picks, and most of them are worse after they’re traded. Pittsburgh’s real problem has been QB: once Big Ben got injured and missed most of a season (2019?) it’s been mediocre QB play at best. Last two years of Ben’s career, Pickett, Russ/Fields, and now what? Sad.
Well, 50% of the league has QBs in the bottom half of the rankings. It’s not just a Steeler problem.
Half of the league is in the bottom half you say? Interesting, interesting.
The Steelers and Tomlin get All Pro production out of WR’s that other teams can’t even keep on the field or out of jail but you think the finger should be pointed at the Steelers and Tomlin…?
Not the players themselves?
Not the other teams that fail with them?
No, the team that actually gets anything useful out of them?
You seem to be one of those folks enamored with the idea of “has never had a losing season” to the point that you’re willing to give Tomlin a free pass.
Offhand, I’d agree with your comment above but by all accounts, Tomlin has at the very least an equal say on personnel matters. He’s not just “a coach”
I give Tomlin a great deal of credit for handling Antonio Brown for years. And Leveon Bell. And Woodley. And Roethlisberger. And others.
But again, by all accounts he thought the baggage on Pickens wasn’t a deal breaker.
I can give Tomlin credit where it’s deserved. But yeah, he deserves some critiques, too
They scout them, they just believe they can fix them. They’re always in over their heads and just to need to stick with proven commodities in college at wr
They scouted Pickens just fine. He just turned into more of a nightmare than they thought he would be. They thought the talent would outweigh the problems. It didn’t. They moved on. They did nothing wrong.
Well no not really. Why do you think he fell out of the first? It wasn’t an accident. He was a head case and teams weren’t touching him
As any serious Steelers fan will tell you moving Pickens was addition by subtraction. When you cause locker room issues with your lackadaisical play, that translates to loses.
I think what some people may be implying, is that maybe the Steelers could do a better job of evaluating a player’s character before drafting them, rather than drafting on talent alone.
They literally knew exactly what they were getting. Thought the talent would outweigh the problems. It didn’t. Traded him. Big deal. Move on. Dude disappeared in big moments.
The old saying of if you want more money and more success…”just play better” fits Pickens. When you supposed to be a elite receiver and your completion percentage is lower than the QB’s that’s on you buddy!
Steelers did ok on this deal as they need to be thinking on a decent draft position next year, they are one of the teams that’ll be needing a QB in ‘26.
How they keep finding great receivers yet ones with ‘maturity’ problems baffles me. Don’t they investigate personalities and talk to the players?