The Pittsburgh Steelers made one of the worst trades in NFL history before this season, according to Kay Adams, who can't understand why the team allowed George Pickens to leave
10:16 ET, 19 Nov 2025
Kay Adams believes that the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to trade George Pickens is one of the worst in NFL history
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Kay Adams believes that the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to trade George Pickens is one of the worst in NFL history(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Media personality Kay Adams has claimed that the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to send George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys is one of the worst trades in NFL history.
Pickens, a former second-round pick, has enjoyed a stunning debut season in Dallas despite the team struggling to deliver results on the field. The 24-year-old has 908 receiving yards through 10 games, the second-most in the league, and has also scored seven touchdowns.
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The Steelers reportedly had concerns over his immaturity, which was one of the factors in the trade decision. While Pickens continues to test the boundaries and was recently disciplined by the Cowboys, Adams believes that Pittsburgh's decision to replace him with DK Metcalf was a mistake.
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Pittsburgh received a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for Pickens, who is now in the final year of his rookie contract. With Pickens likely awaiting a significant extension, the Steelers decided to move on from him and acquire Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks.
The Steelers sent a second-round pick, a seventh-round pick, and a sixth-round pick flip to Seattle for Metcalf, and then signed the receiver to a four-year, $132 million contract extension. The Seahawks were keen to shop Metcalf as Jaxon Smith-Njigba has established himself as a WR1 option.
Smith-Njigba leads the NFL with 1,146 receiving yards this year, and Pickens has also been one of the top receivers in the league. While Metcalf has five touchdowns for the Steelers, the same as Smith-Njigba, he has just 551 receiving yards.
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After watching Pickens haul in 144 yards and a touchdown in a 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Adams declared that the Steelers had made a catastrophic error. "I think that trading George Pickens is probably going to go down as one of the worst NFL deals in history, and I mean that," she said.
"I'm sorry to the Steelers, I just think it's true. The best from a Dallas perspective, what a haul. It is so clear, it is so glaringly obvious watching George Pickens last night, a day after Kenneth Gainwell led Pittsburgh in receiving against the Bengals, this is clearly a bad call by the Steelers.
"They're trying to find any consistency and rhythm outside of DK in the passing game, but it just doesn't exist. You're looking at George out there looking cool AF... he's the NFL's second-leading receiver behind only JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba), who is having the best year of his life."
George Pickens has 908 yards and seven touchdowns this season
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George Pickens has 908 yards and seven touchdowns this season(Image: 2025 Brooke Sutton)
The Steelers are top of the AFC North with a 6-4 record, but have lacked consistency after a 4-1 start to the season. Adams believes that Pittsburgh had the capability of acquiring Metcalf while keeping Pickens and thinks that the Steelers could have been a dominant force.
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"I think we'd be looking at Pittsburgh totally differently if he was there," she added. "Aaron Rodgers, DK, and George Pickens. They didn't need to line up three tight end sets every other play if they still had George Pickens."
The Steelers are still outperforming the Cowboys, who have a 4-5-1 record this season. However, if Dallas can retain Pickens, then it could have a star pairing with CeeDee Lamb for several years.
Pickens is set to become a free agent in 2026 when his rookie contract expires, and his 2025 salary is approximately $3.6 million. The Cowboys face tough negotiations with Pickens as he awaits a big deal, but a franchise tag could cost around $29 million if talks stall.