By: Hunter Montroy

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys a few days ago, and it makes perfect sense to anyone who understands the ins and outs of football—on the field or off. Was I a little surprised when I saw the news after waking up? Sure, but not much.

The Steelers have a great track record of drafting problematic players, and George Pickens is one that Mike Tomlin has never truly been able to wrangle in order to avoid him being a distraction to the team. The Steelers also never utilized Pickens to his full potential. Pickens is undoubtedly a great talent and WR1 material, but he’s just not a fit for the Steelers at this point.

The Steelers are also coming off signing DK Metcalf to a $35 million-per-year contract, which makes Metcalf the clear WR1, downgrading Pickens to WR2. The Metcalf signing needs to be justified at that price, and there’s only one football to go around. Pickens never had amazing stats as a WR1—2024 proved that, with only 59 receptions for 900 yards. The inclusion of Metcalf would have certainly meant a drop in production for Pickens and a very likely chance of him speaking out throughout the year. The Metcalf signing was a clear indication that Pickens was on his way out.

Pickens is also in the final year of his rookie contract, which is another reason why the trade to the Cowboys for a third-round pick isn’t all that surprising. He’s going to want a long-term deal, and one could speculate that Pickens, his agent, and the Cowboys are already discussing that. However, this is the Dallas Cowboys—and Jerry Jones loves to drag his feet as long as possible before giving players new contracts. Just look at the generational talent Micah Parsons, who still hasn’t been signed to a long-term deal.

The Steelers very clearly wanted Pickens out of the building and were tired of dealing with him. Mike Tomlin especially seemed fed up. This also plays into the looming Aaron Rodgers discussion for the Steelers. Rodgers is very particular and runs the offense his way. I don’t think two egotistical players like Rodgers and Pickens would have complemented each other at all.

This trade makes sense and isn’t a surprise in my eyes. It’s a bit odd to see people online acting absolutely appalled. Think about it—Pickens is a major distraction. The Steelers are done with him. Metcalf’s contract needs to be justified. Trading Pickens to the Cowboys gets the Steelers a third-round pick in 2026 and offloads the hefty contract Pickens is bound to want. It’s a fair deal and one that likely makes both sides happy.