By Dianna Russini, Cale Clinton and Saad Yousuf
The Pittsburgh Steelers are finalizing a trade to send wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for future draft picks, per league sources.
In exchange for Pickens, Pittsburgh will receive a third-round pick and a late-round swap, per those sources.
The Cowboys and Steelers have been working on a trade involving WR George Pickens since before the draft, sources say.
Talks stalled, but Dallas came back with an improved effort that eventually lands Pickens in Pittsburgh. https://t.co/oV3Ol1dt1x pic.twitter.com/9shfDtN3Gd
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 7, 2025
Selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Pickens made an immediate impact in Pittsburgh as a WR2 and started 12 of his 17 games as a rookie. He posted the best season of his career thus far in 2023, finishing the year leading the Steelers in targets (106), receptions (63), receiving yards (1,140) and owned a share of the team lead in receiving touchdowns (5) while leading the league with 18.1 yards per reception.
Pickens made headlines throughout the 2024 season as he clashed with the Steelers coaching staff. During a Week 5 Sunday night game with the Dallas Cowboys, Pickens sported eye black stickers that read: “OPEN F—ING ALWAYS” to protest his lack of production through the early part of the season. He saw a season-low 34 offensive snaps in that game.
After two unsportsmanlike penalties in Week 13, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Pickens has “got to grow up” during a postgame news conference. He showed up late the following week to the Steelers’ Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Missing three games due to injury, Pickens still finished the season with 59 receptions on 103 targets for a team-high 900 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Pickens wraps his Steelers tenure with 174 receptions for 2,841 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Pittsburgh now moves on from its top receiver in each of the past two years the same offseason it acquired wide receiver D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks via trade.
Cowboys’ splashiest move in years
The Cowboys haven’t been known to make many big splashes involving veterans, whether it be trades or free agency signings, but trading for Pickens goes up there with some of the biggest moves in the past decade. Interestingly, when the Cowboys do happen to make a big splash, it often involves a acquiring a wide receiver. Dallas traded a first-round pick for Amari Cooper in 2018, and then traded for veteran Brandin Cooks in 2023 in an offseason in which they also traded for veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
The Cowboys had a very specific need, which was at the No. 2 wide receiver spot. They have a clear No. 1 in CeeDee Lamb and they have a collection of players who fit the mold of No. 3 and beyond on the depth chart. Pickens is not only a strong No. 2 talent, but he’s just 24 years old. The former Steelers’ second-round pick has had a productive NFL career through his first three seasons, but he has never had the luxury of lining up opposite of a talent such as Lamb, and he’s never had a quarterback as good as Prescott.
On sheer talent alone, the Cowboys’ offense is instantly better in 2025, and Pickens could be part of the puzzle beyond 2025, too. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. Interestingly enough, Pickens’ agent is David Mulugheta, who also represents star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who is looking for a monster extension with the Cowboys. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made headlines this offseason when he said that he didn’t know the name of Parsons’ agent. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys writer
Pickens’ up-and-down Steelers tenure ends
With his Madden-like catch radius and ever-present deep threat ability, Pickens was often the Steelers’ lone source of offense through his first three seasons. Typically, when a player produces like this on the field, the Steelers like to lock him up to a long-term deal ahead of the fourth and final year of his rookie deal, before he can hit free agency.
But Pickens isn’t like other players. Repeatedly, his on-field antics and enigmatic personality proved problematic. Last year alone, he sported the aforementioned eyeblack, got into a postgame scuffle with Cleveland Browns DB Greg Newsome II and was called for multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Though Pickens’ talent is undeniable and he has the potential to be one of the league’s top receivers, it became clear that the Steelers were not planning to extend him. Rather than risk a hold in situation during training camp and a messy 2025 season, the Steelers chose to cut bait.
Doing so creates significant questions for the Steelers’ receiver room. Though Pittsburgh added Metcalf (which helped provided the flexibility to move on from Pickens), the rest of the depth chart is rather unproven. Calvin Austin III would be the next-most established receiver. He began to emerge last year during his third season, catching 36 passes for 548 yards and four touchdowns. Roman Wilson, who missed his entire rookie season with injuries, will also need to step up. — Cale Clinton
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)