Arguably the biggest story in the National Football League the last week or so was the trade of third-year wide receiver George Pickens from Pittsburgh to Dallas. The Steelers receive a third-round pick in 2026 and a 2027 fifth-round selection. The Cowboys get the talented but controversial performer, and a sixth-round choice in 2027. So much for the duo of Pickens and two-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf, obtained from the Seahawks this offseason.
While the move may have been somewhat surprising considering the timing, dealing Pickens was hardly a shock. Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk explains the recent history of wheeling and dealing when it comes to Steelers’ wideouts.
Defensive lineman Cam Heyward is the Steelers’ longest current tenured player and is preparing for his 15th NFL season. He was caught a bit off-guard by the news, as he stated on his Not Just Football podcast.
"I didn’t know anything about it…I woke up the next morning, and he had been traded. Was I surprised? Yeah, but the game is the game. I know it benefits both teams. We get another third-round pick. They get a wide receiver to go along with CeeDee Lamb.
“Would I have liked to see George and DK (Metcalf) play together? Yeah, but hopefully there’s something in the works. I don’t know.”
Steelers’ roster has undergone a major makeover
The seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro defender has seen this play out before.
“I think we’ve got to look at the track record of trading wide receivers,” explained Heyward. “There’s been some good history behind this and when to do it, what to expect. I was looking at a stat. There’s only been like three or four receivers that made it past the rookie contracts with the Steelers. It’s crazy.
“You had AB (Antonio Brown); you had Diontae Johnson; you had Hines Ward; I think you had JuJu (Smith-Schuster) for another year. For the most part, they know when to re-sign and when to trade, and we’ll see what happens. We could be a better team because of it.”
That obviously remains to be seen. The Steelers’ roster was already going to look dramatically different in 2025 from this past season even before the Pickens’ deal. Are all the changes enough to finally make a significant difference? Mike Tomlin’s team has dropped six straight postseason contests dating back to the 2016 AFC title game.