We never got to see DK Metcalf and George Pickens play together. When the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, I was bullish to see how he would play in this offense, particularly with Pickens moving down to the No. 2 role he always needed to be placed in. Instead, Pickens was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft, and the rest is history.
I will not spend any more time poking and prodding Steelers fans about the Pickens situation. However, I do find it odd that at least one Steelers fan actually thinks they will trade for another star wide receiver this offseason. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly did a mailbag on The Pat McAfee Show, crushing the dreams of Pittsburgh fans that a suitable Pickens replacement could be coming soon.
Here is how Kaboly responded to a Steelers question about trading for Terry McLaurin or Chris Olave.
"Omar Khan learned a lot from the Brandon Aiyuk debacle last year. He will add a veteran receiver at some point before the season, but the two you mentioned aren’t going to be those guys. Right now, they want to see what Roman Wilson can do and see if Calvin Austin III can take another step forward. You can’t figure that out without reps, and that’s what OTAs are for."
For Brandon Aiyuk reasons, Omar Khan will not pursue the New Orleans or Washington star receivers.
This team still needs to get a quarterback that is deserving of throwing the football to Metcalf first...
Why Steelers will not trade for either Terry McLaurin or Chris Olave
Despite the New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders playing in the opposite conference of the Steelers, Kaboly is 100 percent right that Khan is not going to want to go there after last year's debacle involving Aiyuk. The number of Aiyuk articles the entire FanSided.com staff had to write about a trade that did not happen was maddening. He ended up returning to the San Francisco 49ers.
Although I think there is a limited ceiling to what the Steelers could hope to get out of Austin and Wilson as viable No. 2 options, I am intrigued to see how well they pair and complement Metcalf. We all know he is the Steelers' No. 1 option outside the numbers. The physical freak grew his game considerably coming out of Ole Miss. He is no longer a one-route runner, but far more accomplished.
The whole idea behind moving on from Pickens is to get a so-called distraction out of the building. The Steelers are banking on the notion of addition by subtraction when it comes to Pickens. Dallas sees this differently, but it is best for all parties to move on. While McLaurin and Olave can conceivably be had, the type of offseason the Steelers underwent last summer removes them from the equation.
I agree with Kaboly that the Steelers are not done, but they are not adding either McLaurin or Olave.