George Pickens is one of the most physically talented receivers in the entire NFL. With one year remaining on his contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers got a 2026 third-round pick and a late-round pick swap in 2027. Was that return enough for a player of his talent?
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, the trade market was weaker than expected.
“Not a lot of teams called and the others that did weren’t close to the Cowboys’ offer,” Fittipaldo wrote in his weekly Steelers chat via P-G.
“It’s a good deal considering the Steelers did not want to deal with him any longer,” Fittipaldo replied to another question about the value of the trade.
Several NFL analysts have posed the question that if Mike Tomlin wasn’t able to (or didn’t want to) handle a big personality, then what other coach would? It is possible that is exactly why the Pickens trade return wasn’t as high as some were hoping for.
He also doesn’t have the greatest track record of success. In three seasons, he has just 12 total touchdowns, and he’s only had one season with over 1,000 receiving yards. Blame the Steelers’ offense or their unstable QB situation over the last few years, but his production hasn’t lived up to the raw talent quite yet.
Looking at the weak WR draft class, this should have been the best offseason possible to get a big return for a young and talented receiver like Pickens. According to The Athletic, teams laughed at the idea of adding his personality to their locker room.
Pair the personality concerns with the fact that he is due a large-money contract next offseason and it wasn’t the most attractive trade on paper. Even the Cowboys had to raise their offer from a reported initial proposal of a fourth-round pick during the draft.
It doesn’t sound like many other teams were interested at all, which is telling. And the ones that did sound like they offered less than even the fourth-round pick that the Cowboys reportedly offered at first.
In the end, the Steelers got the best trade return they could for Pickens, and you can’t fault them for that if they deemed it necessary to move on from him.
