Though the early-morning news of WR George Pickens getting shipped to the Dallas Cowboys may have felt like a shock, at least one NFL insider isn’t batting an eye at the trade. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported Wednesday that Pittsburgh made sure the NFL world understood Pickens wasn’t going to be with the Steelers come Week 1.
“Not a surprise at all that George Pickens is no longer going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler,” Jones said. “They had made that very clear around the NFL. Certainly after trading for DK Metcalf a couple of months ago. And then when we got to the NFL draft, whether it happened on draft weekend or after draft weekend, it was clear that George Pickens was on his way out of Pittsburgh.”
Trade rumors swirled around Pickens leading up to the draft but didn’t materialize during it, leading to insiders like Adam Schefter to believe a deal was not “viable.” Clearly, the Steelers kept working the phones and struck a deal with the Cowboys early this morning, Dallas sending Pittsburgh its 2026 third-round pick for Pickens. The deal also contained a Day 3 pick swap in 2027.
Dallas had been the long-rumored potential trade partner for Pickens, a team looking to make a splashy move after failing to draft a receiver last month. Now, Pickens will pair with CeeDee Lamb to form a potent duo. Whether or not Dallas can control Pickens’ temper remains to be seen.
If anything, Jonathan Jones’ surprise came by Dallas’ compensation, raising an eyebrow to the Cowboys giving up a future third. Pickens is poised to play out the final year of his deal and become a free agent after 2025. Even if the Cowboys can’t re-sign him, they’ll line up for a compensatory pick in 2027 (provided they don’t make any additions that cancel the pick out – Dallas typically doesn’t make big free agency signings, anyway) to help recoup some of what they gave up. It decreases their own risk in the deal.
Given that the Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for WR Jonathan Mingo a year ago and a fifth-round pick for QB Joe Milton months ago, far less talented and productive players, sending a third rounder for Pickens is justifiable.
Surprised or not, the move is made. In Pittsburgh, all eyes will be on what comes next to replace Pickens and build an offense that can be something more than average.
