Steelers trading WR George Pickens to Cowboys

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 7, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are planning to trade truculent receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for a third-round pick in the 2026 draft, a move they believe has no bearing or impact on quarterback Aaron Rodgers signing with the team, sources have told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The trade, which developed in just the past couple days, is expected to be completed Wednesday, pending Pickens passing a physical. In addition to a third-round pick, the Steelers would also receive a fifth-round pick in 2027 in return for their sixth-round pick in 2027 as part of the deal, sources said.

It's just another step in the Steelers' plan to build their draft picks to make potential moves in the 2026 draft.

Pickens has been a problem receiver for the Steelers because of his on-field behavior and attitude and became expendable when the team traded a No. 2 draft choice to acquire DK Metcalf during the offseason. It reached a point where the issues, which included repeated team violations, became too much for coach Mike Tomlin and Pickens' teammates to tolerate.

The Steelers were not planning to give Pickens, a second-round pick in 2022, a second contract anyway, so they decided to trade him now when the right deal came along.

His trade does not interfere with the impending possibility of Rodgers eventually agreeing to a one-year with the team, a delay that has dragged on for five weeks.

Pickens had 174 catches for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns in three seasons with the Steelers. But even his big-play potential was not enough to accept for even another season, especially after the trade for Metcalf.

The Steelers were looking to potentially take a receiver early in the draft, but their need to take a running back in the third round — Iowa's Kaleb Johnson — superseded that possibility. Also, they are hoping Roman Wilson, last year's third-round choice who missed the entire 2024 season, will help fill the void caused by Pickens' imminent departure.

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