For the first time in three years, the Pittsburgh Steelers will head into the NFL season without George Pickens on their roster. To some, that may be troublesome, given his talent and the lack of depth the Steelers now have at wide receiver. To others, it’s an end to something of a chronic migraine, given all the problems that surrounded Pickens during his time in Pittsburgh.
Former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden thinks the Steelers did Pickens a favor by sending him to the Dallas Cowboys.
“George Pickens, when you got traded to Dallas, the Steelers kind of did you a favor, right?” McFadden said Monday on CBS Sports HQ. “Number one, you got traded to another storied franchise. Number two, you’re going into a better quarterbacking situation with the Dallas Cowboys, with a healthy Dak Prescott, and you’re going into a better situation in terms of who is playing beside you in CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee Lamb will be the best wide receiver that George Pickens has ever played with in his professional career. So now, there shouldn’t be any excuses.”
This isn’t the first time McFadden has claimed to be happy with the outlook for Pickens since he became a Cowboy. Shortly after the trade was made, McFadden stated that the Cowboys won the trade. However, he’s not unaware of the situation Pickens has ahead of him. This segment on CBS Sports HQ involved McFadden listing his five players who have the most to prove in 2025. Pickens came in fifth, behind Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Pitts, Anthony Richardson and Trevor Lawrence.
McFadden certainly isn’t wrong that George Pickens has a lot to prove, especially going into a contract year. However, he also likes the advantages the receiver will have with his new team.
The upgrade at quarterback alone is huge for Pickens. Dak Prescott was playing at an MVP level not too long ago. If he can stay healthy this season, there’s a good chance he could regain that form. Having CeeDee Lamb on the other side of the field will be a massive help as well. For most of his tenure in Pittsburgh, Pickens was the only real receiving threat. Now, he should have many more opportunities. Prescott and Lamb alone raise his ceiling tremendously.
That said, all of those benefits take away any room for excuses for Pickens, as McFadden says. While the lack of help in Pittsburgh may have contributed to some of his blowups, Pickens absolutely needs to clean some things up. Throwing fits on the sideline and showing up late repeatedly just can’t happen in the NFL. Even if you feel your team isn’t helping you as much as it can.
The 2025 season was already going to be a massive one for George Pickens. After the trade, it becomes even bigger. As McFadden says, there really are no excuses now. It’s time to see what Pickens’ future is going to look like, but it won’t be in Pittsburgh.
