George Pickens is now a member of the Dallas Cowboys and will line up opposite All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. They form one of the more intriguing pass-catching tandems in football, though it took a pretty penny to unite them.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers can net a third- and fifth-round pick for Pickens, imagine what other teams can net for their high-profile wideouts. A swap like this should remind rival front offices to be more open-minded about shopping stars, namely the Miami Dolphins with Tyreek Hill.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has set an astronomically high asking price to consider the mere thought of trading Hill. And after seeing how Pittsburgh made out in the Pickens deal, his demands are justified, to some degree. However, Miami would be wise to seriously entertain offers for the Cheetah, knowing they can get a massive haul in return.
Steelers-Cowboys George Pickens trade should have Dolphins ready to explore moving Tyreek Hill
Pickens is a young, talented player with a better chance than ever to unlock the untapped potential many believe he has in Dallas. But with all due respect, there are levels to this, and Hill is among the best receivers of his generation. If the Dolphins made the latter available, there'd be no shortage of suitors ready to give up premium draft capital for him.
Sure, you can argue that age and health lower Hill's value. He's entering his age-31 campaign and is coming off offseason wrist surgery. The ailment bothered him since before Week 1 of last season, which was apparent; there were too many times when his presence was atypically unfelt. Do other clubs see that as a buy-low opportunity or the beginning of Father Time intervening on what's been a Hall of Fame career?
Whatever the case, Hill's 959 receiving yards in 2024 marked his first time below the 1,000-yard tally and lowest total since 2019. Yet, that'd be the second-best output for Pickens across his three years as a pro. In other words, even a compromised, aging version of the former is as good if not better than the latter.
A flurry of cryptic social media activity and a well-chornicled exit following a disappointing end to an unsatisfying year have raised questions about Hill's future. Miami has done its part to (emphatically) quiet the speculation, but perhaps they'll change their tune in response to the Steelers re-routing Pickens to Dallas.