George Pickens
Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The timing of the George Pickens trade was very peculiar, coming just weeks after the 2025 NFL Draft. Typically, teams with valuable players would attempt to trade them earlier in the offseason or even during the draft so they can use that trade capital to improve their roster for the upcoming season.
Yet, that’s not the arrangement that took place between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, where the latter received a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection. In other words, there has to be a strong reason why the Steelers felt so compelled to trade their starting receiver just months ahead of the season.
Recently, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly revealed a number of reasons why Pittsburgh may have been so quick to move on from their star receiver.
For one, some “significant locker room got fed up with Pickens’ antics and were quickly turned off by him.” Others reportedly felt it would be “counterproductive” to keep Pickens on the roster, and some even felt the locker room could “turn toxic.”
Yet, as we saw by the type of trade return Pittsburgh got, “not many teams were interested in trading for Pickens.” Pittsburgh reportedly held firm, saying that they wouldn’t accept an offer for anything less than a third-round pick. But that offer didn’t arrive until after the draft was completed.
While Pickens could be a significant addition to the Cowboys’ offense, “not many inside the Steelers were broken up” about the trade.
Related: George Pickens seemingly blasts Pittsburgh Steelers after trade