**Who will have a better season: DK Metcalf or George Pickens?**
The Steelers traded for DK Metcalf in March, then traded George Pickens in May; who will have the better season? Metcalf is, of course, with the Steelers, while Pickens is now a Cowboy. Unless the two teams make the Super Bowl this year, they won’t play one another. But you can bet there will be a lot of George Pickens talk during Steelers games, especially during tough times. Or if Pickens is doing crazy things—good or bad—out in Dallas.
The first variable to consider is quarterback play. George Pickens will have Dak Prescott, while DK Metcalf will have either Mason Rudolph or Aaron Rodgers with the Steelers. Either way, I think almost everybody would agree that Pickens is in the better situation. That is if Prescott stays healthy. But at least he shows up, unlike Rodgers.
During his three-year career with the Steelers, Pickens authored big plays, but only 12 touchdowns. Metcalf’s production has waxed and waned some, but he will be the featured playmaker with the Steelers. And Both Rudolph and Rodgers are capable of pushing the ball down the field. Some of Pickens’ best opportunities were in late 2023 with Rudolph at quarterback.
Mind you, this is about the performances of individual players, not team success. This is also not about who will be the better professional, or better for their team. Specifically, I’m looking at who will have the better season on the football field. Both DK Metcalf and George Pickens have changed their locations for the first time in their careers, a neutral variable. Both have also played with different quarterbacks, sharing Russell Wilson in their history.
One gets the sense that the Steelers’ decision to acquire DK Metcalf and trade George Pickens wasn’t exclusively related to football. It seems they determined Pickens wasn’t somebody they could trust to commit large sums of money to. Once they signed Metcalf to a $150 million contract, that pretty much put the for sale sign up.
We might never know if the Steelers would have really stuck it out with Pickens this year had the Cowboys not upped their offer after the draft. That’s the impression they gave, but who knows what would have happened in July and August. Now in new environments, though, the real story for both Pickens and Metcalf begins in September.
_The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein._
_Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is_ [_the quarterback question_](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/04/schrager-thinks-steelers-passing-on-qb-in-1st-round-means-theyre-all-in-on-aaron-rodgers/)_. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The_ [_2025 NFL Draft class_](https://www.steelers.com/draft/) _is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete._
_But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. Certain will-he-or-won’t-he situations remain in play, which we continue to monitor. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go._