In 2024, aside from George Pickens, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have much at the wide receiver position. It didn’t help that Pickens had some frustrating moments himself. Pittsburgh quickly rectified their problems at the position this offseason, trading a second-round pick for DK Metcalf while handing him a large contract extension in the process.
Meanwhile, the Steelers haven’t shown the same interest in Pickens, who’s heading into the final year of his rookie contract. That’s led some to wonder whether Pittsburgh would consider trading Pickens, especially with the draft looming just less than two weeks away. KDKA’s Rich Walsh spoke to Jason Mackey on the Post-Gazette Sports Podcast, and argued against trading Pickens.
“I would rather keep him [Pickens],” Walsh said. “I don’t know if you’re gonna get better than a third-round pick. You would think, if you were to keep him, and he would leave in free agency, the Steelers might get a third-round comp [compensatory] pick, right? Why would you trade him for anything less? You would have to try to get a second-round pick. I don’t know if a team, given his history, would give up a second-round pick for him… I want him around here for a year, him, and DK Metcalf.”
Pickens’ personality has earned him a lot of attention early in his NFL career, but it’s also earned him some criticism. The Steelers going out and signing Metcalf to a long deal, instead of extending their own receiver really is the icing on the cake in the way the organization seems to view him going forward.
Walsh makes a good point regarding the compensatory picks, and that seems to be something Pittsburgh’s taking advantage of this offseason. If Pickens leaves in free agency, Pittsburgh could get a compensatory pick as high as the third-round, though it wouldn’t be credited until the 2027 draft.
Judging Pickens’ trade value right now, that’s not a terrible idea. He’s not exactly coming off the strongest season. Compared to the 2023 season, Pickens’ production dropped in 2024 in several categories. He had fewer targets and receptions, 106 and 63 in 2023 compared to 103 and 59 in 2024 (injury clearly playing a factor). Pickens also saw his receiving yards decrease with 900 compared to 1,140 the year prior. All while averaging 2.8 less yards per reception in the process. Pickens also only scored three times on the year.
None of this is to say he’s a bad receiver. When he’s on, he’s one of the most-talented pass-catchers in the NFL. However, his trade value isn’t at its highest. Although this offseason is one of the last opportunities the Steelers would have to trade him, his value might not be much higher than a compensatory pick they could receive if he signs elsewhere.
Having George Pickens and DK Metcalf on the same team will give the offense a ton of life as well. These two are some of the best down-the-field threats in the league. Whoever ends up quarterbacking the offense in 2025 will have two talented weapons at his disposal. Even just having them on the field together would open up the run game, too. All things considered, trading George Pickens now might not be beneficial for the team, especially if Pittsburgh could get similar value if he leaves as a free agent.
