The Pittsburgh Steelers traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last week for 2026 draft capital in a move that left many pundits floored. Pittsburgh traded for DK Metcalf this offseason and still hasn't figured out their quarterback situation, so why deal Pickens, a capable receiver, away? Pickens may have provided an answer to that question in an alleged Instagram comment on Sunday.
Screenshots last forever, but they must also be taken with a grain of salt. Just about anyone can create a fake Instagram post or comment these days via photoshop or AI. In the case of Pickens, there's a lot of smoke to said comment, but for now we must give him the benefit of the doubt. The comment in question reportedly called the Steelers 'cheap', among other things. If Pickens really did leave that comment, then it says a lot about why he was dealt in the first place.
Pickens comment doesn't exactly stand up to the smell test, as Pittsburgh signed Metcalf to a $150 million contract just this offseason. Pittsburgh didn't trade Pickens because they didn't want to spend in general – they just didn't want to pay HIM that money, which is an important distinction.
UPDATE: Per Pickens himself, he's been on a plane all day. Pickens claims the Instagram comment was just AI.
The Steelers aren't cheap, they just didn't want to pay George Pickens
Recent reporting from Steelers insider Mark Kaboly shed some light on why Pittsburgh may have gotten tired of Pickens behavior altogether.
“I got a sense that it was a little bit more uglier than you thought behind closed doors. If you're hearing Pickens’ antics that people are saying, imagine the stuff that you're not hearing. I think there's a lot of stuff that we still don't know. After all this went through, saying 'Oh geez, if you would've known this, the trade would have made a ton of sense,'" Kaboly said.
That's a jarring statement to hear, especially given what we already do know about the Steelers frustrations with Pickens. It's no secret that Pickens wasn't the best locker room presence. He routinely made it known to the coaching staff and his own teammates when he was unhappy. He was the recipient of multiple unsportsmanlike penalties last season, and he was even called out for his lack of run-blocking effort.
Mike Tomlin tried his best to reach Pickens, even meeting with the wide receiver privately. Those meetings seemed to work in spurts, but in the end the Steelers couldn't change Pickens behavior altogether.
A change of scenery could do Pickens some good. In Dallas, he'll get a fresh start and a chance to prove himself without the baggage he carried with in Pittsburgh. However, Cowboys fans should take Sunday's supposed comment as a warning not to get on Pickens bad side. It won't end well.