Steelers Defenders Discuss George Pickens Trade

A pair of second-year Pittsburgh Steelers defenders offered their perspective on the team's trade of wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

In a clip shared by Prospect Media on Instagram from cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr.'s recent vlog, which is now listed as private on YouTube, he shared the story with linebacker Payton Wilson of how he first learned Pickens had been dealt.

"I was on my way to the facility and I had just checked my phone, and it's like breaking news, Pittsburgh's trading George Pickens," Bishop said.

Pittsburgh, who sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to Dallas alongside Pickens, netted a 2026 third-rounder and 2027 fifth-rounder for the 24-year-old star, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Wilson's opinion on the matter centered around the fact that the Steelers' front office made the move with the team's future in mind instead of having tunnel vision and only focusing on contending during the 2025 campaign.

"The front office isn't just making moves for this year," Wilson said. "That's what I had to learn. They're really trying to stack year on top of year on top of year. Obviously us being in it, we want to win a Super Bowl every single year, but it's probably different a little different for the front office. They make this trade, 'OK, we can set up for this pick this year, this pick this year.' And obviously, I have no clue what I'm talking about, but that's just the way I look at it."

In a way, Pittsburgh likely felt Pickens was expendable the moment they acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and handed him a new four-year, $132 million contract.

With a No. 1 receiver locked up for the foreseeable future, and with perhaps a bit of doubt as to how Pickens fit in long-term, the Steelers pounced and found a suitable return package for him that could potentially aid their pursuit of a franchise quarterback in next year's draft, or at the very least help build a more complete roster down the line.

Even though Pickens denied leaving a comment under the above post that's circulated around social media over the past 24 hours or so, he doesn't appear too fond of the Steelers' organization. While it's understandable for him to harbor some sort of grudge, it's not hard to see why the front office ultimately made the trade.

Pittsburgh remains in position to compete for a playoff spot this upcoming season, especially if it signs Aaron Rodgers, though there's also more work to be done over the coming months.