To trade George Pickens or not to trade George Pickens? Once this Aaron Rodgers saga has finally reached a conclusion, that will end up being one of the top media storylines surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Ray Fittipaldo joined [93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8spp_Uu5UE&t=11601s&ab_channel=93.7TheFan) on Wednesday and discussed how he believes the potential Pickens trade should be valued by the organization.
“They should never trade him for anything less than a third-round pick,” Fittipaldo said. “No matter if they do that this spring or in the fall because George is gonna sign a big contract next year if he walks in free agency, and at a minimum, you’re probably gonna get a third-round comp pick, right?”
It was already a worthwhile question to ask before free agency, and then the Steelers traded a second-round pick to acquire WR DK Metcalf and proceeded to give him a large-money extension to keep him in Pittsburgh for the next five seasons.
That makes it unlikely that the Steelers would also give Pickens an extension by the time he’s an unrestricted free agent next March. So what should they do with him? If Rodgers comes to Pittsburgh, they could decide to keep him and go all-in on this upcoming season to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle. If Rodgers retires or signs elsewhere, the wise move would be to move Pickens to maximize future value.
The only qualm I have with Fittipaldo’s line of thinking is the fact that compensatory picks can be canceled out by signings in free agency. The Steelers have been making splash moves in free agency the last couple offseasons under Omar Khan. There is no guarantee that Pickens’ potential third-round comp pick would actually return value. What happens if the Steelers decide to go out and sign another significant free agent like Patrick Queen? Suddenly Pickens’ value is canceled out and you get nothing in return.
And what happens if Pickens has a down year with DK Metcalf in the picture, or he gets hurt and takes a dip in value? Comp picks can be loosely planned for, but they shouldn’t be counted on.
The potential return of Pickens will be the highest during the NFL Draft, especially with a weaker group of receivers this year. There may be another spike at the trade deadline, but at that point, Pickens would be a seven or eight-game rental with a contract that will expire after the season. How much could the Steelers really get in return for that?
Given the Steelers’ [projected windfall of 2026 compensatory draft picks](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/steelers-on-target-for-compensatory-pick-windfall-if-they-play-their-cards-right/), I would be in favor of any trade that will return them 2026 draft value. That will give them all of the ammunition necessary to maneuver in the first round of the draft to make an aggressive move for a potential franchise quarterback.