The Pittsburgh Steelers are trading wide receiver George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
While Pickens could be a distraction, the Steelers should receive more in this trade.
Pickens is going into his fourth year in the NFL, and this would have been his last year on the Steelers contract. In his years in the league, Pickens has become one of the NFL’s best wide receivers.
Pickens was picked by the Steelers in the 2023 draft in the second-round with their 52nd pick. Given his talent, he is definitely at least worth a second-round pick in a trade.
In 2023, Pickens recorded 63 catches for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. As a wide receiver one for a team that has had quarterback problems the past few years, these stats really show what Pickens could do if he had a real quarterback throwing him the ball.
This will be shown when he has Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throwing him the ball next year, and especially because he will be alongside star wide receiver Ceedee Lamb.
With this decision by the Steelers, the question now is whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers still want join the team, given the lack of a wide receiver two. The answer should be yes, but considering the problems that Rodgers caused over his past years with the Jets, this may not be the best move for the Steelers.
With the Steelers having one great wide receiver, DK Metcalf, and the quarterback position not being settled yet, this could potentially be a rough season for the Steelers.
But this would not necessarily be a bad thing. Going into this season, Steeler fans should expect to see at least two starting quarterbacks this year: Mason Rudolph and rookie quarterback and college national champion Will Howard.
If the Steelers are able to build Howard into the kind of quarterback they want – if even they have a rough season – then the Steelers should look to pick a wide receiver in the first round of the draft that could take Pickens’ spot in being the wide receiver two.
