He never played with him, but that didn’t stop former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden from wishing the team he played for from 2017-2021 had not traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
On the “Up And Adams” Show Thursday, Haden stated that Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers with DK Metcalf and Pickens would have been difficult to stop.
“I wish they wouldn’t have got rid of George Pickens because if they would’ve had those two [Pickens and Metcalf] with A-Rod, yeah it would’ve been trouble for everyone,” Haden told Kay Adams, according to video via the show’s YouTube page.
On paper, the combination of Metcalf and Pickens would have been really difficult for defenses to deal with. Both are big, physical receivers who win downfield and dominate in contested-catch situations.
Rodgers still throws a good deep ball, and his arm strength is still impressive. He showed that during mandatory minicamp after signing with the Steelers in early June. But the Steelers had no intention of signing Pickens to a long-term deal, especially after trading for Metcalf and giving him a massive contract extension.
Pickens became expendable, and rather than go through the 2025 season with the Georgia product in the last year of his contract and potentially being more of a headache after three years of issues, the Steelers flipped him to Dallas.
The timing of the trade was a surprise, coming after the draft. The Steelers’ return for Pickens won’t have an impact until the 2026 NFL Draft, but the move has been viewed as an addition by subtraction for the Steelers. They rid themselves of a young player who created distractions, from showing up late to practices and games to lashing out on the sidelines during games.
Still, if the Steelers are aiming to compete in 2025, it would have made some sense to keep Pickens for one year. Let him try to have a great season with Rodgers at the helm, produce in a big way and help the Steelers try to win in the playoffs — and then move on in free agency and get the Steelers a 2027 compensatory draft pick.
Instead, the Steelers opted for the 2026 third-round pick from the Cowboys, giving Pittsburgh more draft capital to try to find its franchise quarterback.
The Steelers now find themselves needing another receiver to join with the likes of Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Robert Woods, and Roman Wilson. They are reportedly lowballing teams, not desperate — yet — and not willing to overpay.
They could have avoided all of it by just keeping Pickens for his final year of his rookie deal, but they made the decision that they did. Now they have to adjust.
