Was it wise for the Steelers to trade George Pickens?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly agreed to terms to trade WR George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers will receive a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in exchange for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
The long-standing rumors came to fruition as the two sides looked to make moves. On Dallas’ side, GM Jerry Jones continued to look for another component to complement QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb.
For Pittsburgh, the team had been speculated to move on from Pickens as early as the end of last season. Trade rumors heated up after GM Omar Khan acquired WR D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, leaving the Steelers with a bona fide star on the roster but without a second-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the transaction pending Pickens passing a physical with the Cowboys, everyone is left asking: is this the right move for the Steelers? Here are some positives and negatives of the trade to help answer that question.
Final year of rookie contract
Aside from losing draft capital earlier this offseason via the Metcalf trade, most sports betting online website felt that Pickens would no longer be with the team once his rookie contract expired. The initial four-year deal ran through the 2025 season, making either an extension or trade a viable option for Pittsburgh.
With current wide receiver contracts hedging around a $30 million per year average, and Khan having already inked Metcalf to a new blockbuster deal, it was unlikely the Steelers were going to secure Pickens’ services beyond this season.
In 2026, 22 receivers—over half of the league—will earn an average salary of $20 million or more, with eight of those players earning an average of $30 million or more. One of those eight is Metcalf, making it near impossible for the Steelers to have two receivers earning that kind of money each season.
The end result could’ve been Pickens creating a situation during training camp by sitting out, causing more gasoline to be poured on his proverbial fire. Needless to say the Steelers got ahead of that potential situation.
On-field performance
Paying Pickens a premium price was also hard to justify given his on-field performance. I believe Pickens is an immensely talented player, and given a rough go with the quarterbacks that were throwing to him, too. However, it became apparent there was an issue with his attitude and effort, as witnessed several times last season.
Pickens was called to the carpet for not blocking on a run play and giving up on several routes throughout the year, including one play that led to Russell Wilson leading the receiver, but instead being picked off when the player stopped short.
That one play was far from the only miscue, and with Pickens having only one 1,000-yard season and unable to break out on his own as the primary team receiver, the writing was on the wall.
With only two 100-yard games last season, and 12 career touchdowns in 48 games, it was perhaps time to sell high on a player the team wasn’t going to re-sign.
Didn’t draft a replacement
The missing piece of the puzzle is that the Steelers didn’t pick up another receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft. The typical Pittsburgh blueprint is to draft a player at a position with an expiring contract, a year early.
With both George Pickens and Calvin Austin entering the final year of their current deals, it would appear the Steelers were in the market for a receiver. However, this year’s draft class was weaker, and the team already spent a second-round pick to trade for Metcalf, making a receiver addition difficult when there were other pressing needs.
The assumption may have been that Khan traded Pickens during the draft to recoup his second-round pick and acquire his replacement. That would also assume the incoming rookie would be as talented as Pickens, which is not a given.
Pairing with Metcalf
Pairing Pickens with Metcalf looked like a 1-2 punch that would rival the Cincinnati Bengals duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. It also appeared that the Steelers’ pairing would lure a veteran quarterback to Pittsburgh or at least aid a young passer in the offense.
That dream is now null and void, but only because of the unknown. Will another Steelers receiver step up, or will the team add another player soon?
The other Steelers receivers
The remaining Steelers receivers are a group of unknowns, but also a group of capable players. Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson are both fast, clocking 40 times in the 4.2 to 4.3 range at their NFL Combine.
Austin enters the final year of his contract. He caught 36 passes for 548 yards and four touchdowns in 2024: that’s one more TD than Pickens had.
Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, didn’t see the field after battling injuries for much of last season. He was an integral part of the 2023 Michigan Wolverines NCAA National Championship run. A physical and fast receiver, he will be more willing to stick his nose in run plays than Pickens.
The team recently signed veteran Robert Woods as well. The 33-year-old’s best days are behind him as a receiver, but he can still add experience to a young room while also being leaned on for special-teams return duties. (Those duties should spell Austin to take a shot at being the starter opposite Metcalf.)
Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller round out the notable names on the wide receiver depth chart. Each has contributed on special teams with Skowronek the unlikely hero in several spot situations last season. One or both may be leaned on in subpackages, particularly run-heavy sets too.
More additions coming?
The remaining available free agents on the market don’t strike much confidence in improving a room losing the potential of a player like Pickens. However, it could bring more stability to sign someone like Keenan Allen (age 33) or Amari Cooper (age 30).
Allen continues to post impressive numbers despite climbing in years. He had 108 receptions for 1,243 yards in 2023 with the Chargers and 70 catches for 744 with the Bears in 2024. He’s caught seven touchdowns in each of those last two seasons.
Cooper is someone the Steelers have intimate knowledge of, having faced him for years as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Cooper never quite caught on after a midseason trade sent him to the Buffalo Bills, following a slow start with the Browns chaotic quarterback situation. However, Cooper’s first two seasons in Cleveland saw him put up 150 receptions for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Despite erratic quarterback play and joining a different team midseason, Cooper put up more catches (194), yards (2,957) and touchdowns (18) than Pickens career stat line of 174, 2,841, and 12. Cooper isn’t the future, but if the Steelers are looking to match production, they could do no worse than bringing “Coop” in for a visit.
