“What the hell is going on in Pittsburgh?”
That’s the common question being asked of the Steelers right now following the surprising trade of fourth-year wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys Wednesday morning. The trade landed the Steelers a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a late-round pick swap with the Cowboys in the 2027 NFL Draft.
While the move is not surprising overall, as Pickens was largely ticketed out of town at some point, it is rather surprising due to the timing. It comes just under two weeks from the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft, in which the Steelers did not draft a wide receiver.
Rich Eisen, who appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” Wednesday, is puzzled by what he’s seeing from the Steelers this offseason, even though he remains steadfast in his belief in Mike Tomlin.
“What the hell is going on in Pittsburgh for them to basically say, ‘here’s what we’re gonna do. We don’t really have a plan at quarterback other than the fact that we tried to get other guys, and now we’re in the position of watching our quarterback room bolt for starter’s jobs in New Jersey. And then what we’re gonna do is wait for Aaron Rodgers to get his affairs in order to tell us that he’s gonna play or not. And we’re just assuming he’s gonna do it or we’ve been given some massive green light indication that he’s going to do it,'” Eisen said of the Steelers’ offseason, which took a significant turn Wednesday with the trade of Pickens, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “‘And in the meantime, what we’re going to do until we don’t know that, is trade for somebody else’s wide receiver and pay him $30 million a year on average.
“‘And then take the kid who is absolutely far more economical and has a game, one would think arguably similar to DK Metcalf’s and flip him for two draft considerations next year and the year after and go to work in the receiver room that way and the quarterback room that way.’ It is so un-Steeler-like, I don’t even know what to make of it.”
Eisen isn’t alone in that thinking. It’s been a bit of a puzzling offseason for the Steelers, even with things starting out well with the trade for DK Metcalf, handing him a five-year, $150 million extension immediately upon acquiring him.
But after that, the Steelers watched quarterback Justin Fields bolt for the New York Jets, swung and missed on Sam Darnold before he signed with the Seattle Seahawks, and then set their sights on Aaron Rodgers, while never really entertaining a reunion with Russell Wilson, and checking in on Joe Flacco before he landed with the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers did sign Mason Rudolph to a two-year, $8 million deal, but that was presumably to be a backup. Right now, he is projected to be the starter—at least until Rodgers signs (or not).
Now, things are getting even stranger for the Steelers, who traded away Pickens and don’t have a clear No. 2 WR answer on the roster. The move to trade Pickens isn’t a surprise because after landing Metcalf and paying him big money, the Steelers weren’t going to extend Pickens.
With him in a contract year and already a headache for the franchise, it made sense to move on. But the timing is, well, strange, and it leaves the Steelers with more questions than answers.
Questions that Eisen is starting to ask, even while having that unwavering trust and belief in Tomlin.
“…But if this guy [Tomlin] is just like, ‘fine, trade George Pickens,’ what the hell is going on between number 14, formerly of the Steelers now, and the Steelers? What a headache he must have been for them to basically say you’re in the fourth year of a contract, you are 100% beyond affordable and economical for the amount of production we’re getting out of you, but we are willing to just send you packing, get out and go with the rest of the receiver room as it is?”
Eisen largely answered his own question there. Pickens’ talent began to not outweigh the headaches and negative attention he started to generate over the years. That’s been the case for the Steelers in that receiver room for years now, and they’ve known when to move off of guys at just the right time.
That might be the case here with Pickens. But there are a lot of questions being asked of the organization that is a picture of stability in a rather puzzling offseason that took another interesting turn on Wednesday.
Check out the full segment from Eisen below.
