The George Pickens era ended like it was always going to with the Pittsburgh Steelers: quickly and abruptly.
That was the case Wednesday morning as the Steelers traded Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and a late-round pick swap in the 2027 NFL Draft. The move ended Pickens’ tenure with the Steelers that featured some highs on the field from a splash-play perspective but also far too many headache-inducing moments with a lack of effort, judgment and attitude on and off the field.
For former NFL head coach Jay Gruden, the move is one that Pittsburgh has to be happy about — particularly its head coach
“I’m telling you, this is not Mike Tomlin’s type of guy. I’m sorry. He’s made some big plays in Pittsburgh and I know the fans like him, but this guy does not participate in the running game,” Gruden said Wednesday of the Pickens trade on his “Clean Pocket” podcast, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “He gets very selfish at times. His body language has been poor for the last couple years and I think it’s time for him to get outta there.
“And it’s a new home and a new place is sometimes good for the player and it’s sometimes good for the team that he leaves.”
Throughout his three seasons in Pittsburgh, Pickens made a lot of plays. He was a significant downfield threat who could really take the top off of defenses and create splash. He has freakish body control, too, and was able to make some absurd sideline catches.
But for all the great things he did when the ball was thrown his way, the stuff he did when it wasn’t far outweighed some of the positives. There was the non-block against the Indianapolis Colts in 2023 when Jaylen Warren was running the football and Pickens later said he didn’t want to get injured on.
That came shortly after Diontae Johnson had poor effort on a fumble and didn’t attempt to recover the loose ball.
Pickens also had a derogatory message on his eye black in 2024 against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, had an incident after the game with Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, couldn’t stay out of his own way against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and then lost his cool on Christmas against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the blowout loss. This after reportedly showing up very late before the start of that game in his return from a hamstring injury.
The Steelers, time and time again, defended Pickens and stated he was working through things and growing and maturing. But ultimately their patience ran out and they moved on before he entered a contract year, where the headaches could have been even greater.
Mike Tomlin often stood up for Pickens to the media, or downplayed some incidents, too. In fact, sometimes Tomlin even gave non-answers about not knowing about things that occurred on the field with Pickens, which was baffling.
He doesn’t have to do that anymore because Pickens is off to Dallas, where first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer will have to find a way to keep him under control. That, in and of itself, is a win for the Steelers.
Check out Gruden’s full take on the Pickens trade to Dallas below.
