If you wondered why the Pittsburgh Steelers waited until after the draft to deal George Pickens, the lack of a strong offer or a robust market may be the reason why. But what caused the lack of interest?
According to Jeff Howe, The Athletic polled some teams around the league to gauge the general buzz around the availability of a talent like Pickens and whether they would consider trading for him. They were less than enthused.
“Some teams polled by The Athletic at the time laughed at the idea of inviting Pickens into their locker room for any price, let alone a second-day draft pick,” anonymous teams said via Howe. “There wasn’t a lot of interest in talking with the Steelers about a trade.”
The Cowboys eventually traded a third-round pick in 2026 and a late-round pick swap in 2027 to acquire Pickens. As long as he stays healthy, the Cowboys can always recoup a 2027 third-round pick via the compensatory pick system if he signs a big-money deal elsewhere next offseason.
While they eventually forked over a third-round pick, reports have indicated that they were initially offering a fourth-rounder for Pickens.
The talent is very clearly there for Pickens, though some of his statistics haven’t lived up to potential over his first three seasons for several different reasons. He only has 12 career touchdowns, for example, which is the same or less than three different receivers in 2024 alone.
On the other hand, there are plays that only Pickens is able to make with his one-of-a-kind body control and knack for circus catches. He is also just 24 years old and still on a cheap rookie contract for one more season.
So why would teams laugh at the idea of adding him to their team? The maturity issues on and off the field seem to carry a lot of weight with most franchises.
He has showed up late to meetings and even games. There have been maddening post-snap penalties. And he’s had a couple moments with the media that make you scratch your head.
Around the league, analysts have pointed out that if Mike Tomlin — a coach known for managing strong personalities — is no longer willing to tolerate Pickens, that sends a message. The Steelers do have a history of receivers flaming out after being traded, after all.
