The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an offseason with no clear direction. Things got even foggier in Western Pennsylvania early on Wednesday morning. It was announced that mercurial wideout George Pickens had been traded to the Dallas Cowboys, leaving the skill position cupboard relatively bare for Pittsburgh… Again.
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Pickens was shipped to Texas along with a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder. If the Steelers weren’t so sorely lacking for talent, it wouldn’t be the worst deal.
Pittsburgh very rarely gives second contracts to WRs. And with Pickens entering the final year of his rookie deal, they were able to get a Day 2 pick rather than letting him leave for nothing next offseason. But what does the deal mean for Pickens?
While there is no doubt about his world-class talent, Pickens has had a few issues with on-field penalties and the perception of his supposed “diva” attitude. Ryan Clark, an NFL analyst who played for the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin from 2007 to 2013, believes that the fact that Coach T decided to move on from Pickens speaks volumes.
Mike Tomlin consistently says he doesn’t run from coaching. He doesn’t run from teaching. He doesn’t run from grooming. And so if George Pickens, with that immense amount of talent, can no longer exist in that locker room, it’s gonna be difficult for him to “exist anywhere,” as per the former safety.
“And we’re looking at a Jerry Jones who doesn’t make moves very often in the offseason, now saying at this price, I have to make this move if I want to make my team better,” he added.
Pittsburgh in the 21st century has a long track record of cutting bait with wideouts at just the right time. The list is lengthy and includes the likes of Santonio Holmes, Martavis Bryant, Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, Chase Claypool, and more. They will be hoping they made the right call again here.
Clark is also looking at how Pickens will fit in with the Cowboys. A player like that on the biggest team in the world could either be really bad or really good, he pointed out.
“To me it’s, how do you handle him, to me it’s, how do you incorporate him into the locker room? We heard Scotty talk recently about the way he moved Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons lockers next to one another. He better be focused on doing those things, and making sure George Pickens gets the football as well, because it seems that he could tear down a locker room.”
"Mike Tomlin consistently says he doesn't run from coaching. … If George Pickens, with that immense amount of talent, can no longer exist in that locker room, it's going to be difficult for him to exist anywhere."
—@Realrclark25 on the Steelers trading George Pickens to the… pic.twitter.com/v1tBBvShWD
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 7, 2025
We’re not sure where Clark got the idea that Pickens “tore down” Pittsburgh’s locker room, but he clearly believes all the negative narratives about him. However, in his first three years in the league, Pickens caught passes from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, Mitchell Trubisky, and Russell Wilson. Forgive him if he was a little frustrated.
In a pass-happy offense with a quality QB in Dak Prescott and defenses focused on CeeDee Lamb, he should have a lot of success. Not that this means he will turn the Cowboys around, but he will definitely contribute to an elite passing attack.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is left with D.K. Metcalf and not much else. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard seem headed for the least-exciting QB competition ever, and they have next-to-no talent behind Metcalf at wideout. Unless Caleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren turn into Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier behind a vastly improved offensive line, this could be the ugliest in a recent string of ugly offensive seasons for Pittsburgh.
