The Pittsburgh Steelers finally washed their hands of the George Pickens era on Wednesday morning, reportedly sending their mercurial wide receiver and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Dallas Cowboys for third- and fifth-round selections. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to break the news.
Pickens has been the subject of trade rumors for years now, but speculation really heated up once the Steelers not only acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks but then immediately handed him a fat new contract. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Pickens was due for a payday himself, forcing Pittsburgh to either commit long-term or finally move on.
Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin and Co. chose the latter, prioritizing future flexibility over fielding the most competitive team possible in 2025. Doing so tells us a whole lot about how the Steelers see themselves right now, and where they're headed in the future.
George Pickens trade shifts Steelers focus to 2026 NFL Draft
You can hardly say that Pittsburgh is bottoming out; this will still be a rock-solid defense, and assuming Aaron Rodgers eventually decides to play football next year, that should at least elevate the offense to something beyond awful.
But moving Pickens leaves the depth chart at receiver largely bare behind Metcalf, with speedster Calvin Austin III, veteran Robert Woods and slot options Roman Wilson and Scotty Miller rounding things out. It's hard not to read the Pickens trade as an intentional step back in the short-term, which, combined with the team's willingness to wait Rodgers out and not jump for a quick fix at quarterback, suggests that the Steelers have now fully shifted focus to next year's draft as an inflection point.
Pittsburgh's actions this offseason were not those of a team that sees itself as a legitimate contender; legitimate contenders don't head into May with Mason Rudolph as QB1. It seems like the Steelers braintrust has finally internalized that something needs to change, and something significant. They're tired of treading water and being one step above mediocrity — and the only way to break out of that cycle is to take a step back first to reset.
The Pickens trade is the biggest move yet in that direction. With him on board, you could talk yourself into this offense in 2025; without him, it feels like a placeholder ahead of something else. That something else will likely arrive in the spring of 2026, when a much-improved QB class should allow the Steelers to finally find its new face of the franchise. Rather than tying itself and some of its future cap to Pickens, Pittsburgh has decided to turn over a new leaf, amassing as much draft capital as possible in advance at a run toward the top of the draft board next year.
Which is probably long overdue. The Steelers haven't truly scared anybody in quite a long time, and a lack of answers at quarterback was the biggest reason why. In today's NFL, that can only change by getting very lucky or being very bad, and while Pittsburgh isn't outright tanking, they finally chose to take their medicine.