The Pittsburgh Steelers knew they were reaching an inflection point with wide receiver George Pickens coming into the offseason, though it took them a while to finally make a move.
"They made a decision at the end of the 2024 season that they knew that they were not going to extend George Pickens' contract," NFL insider Adam Caplan said on FOX Sports Radio. "There was no way this would work with Pickens, they felt. And they were going to move him for whatever they could get, the best they could get. And Dallas was very interested, and they made it work."
After acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and signing him to a four-year, $132 million extension, the writing was on the wall for Pickens' future with the organization.
There were several reports around the time of the 2025 NFL Draft that Pittsburgh was looking to trade Pickens before the final year of his rookie contract. Nothing transpired then, though the Steelers and Dallas Cowboys came together in early May and hammered out a deal.
Pittsburgh landed a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 fifth-rounder while sending a 2027 sixth-rounder to Dallas alongside Pickens.
The Steelers were never going to hand Pickens a new deal, and with Metcalf in the building, it made little sense to hang onto the former instead of picking up several draft assets for him.
Caplan added that the team knew they had to bring in another No. 1-caliber receiver to replace Pickens, and that they didn't love the crop of prospects available at the position in the draft.
"They had to get somebody to replace him, and they were not gonna wait for the draft," Caplan said. "By the way, the word around the league was, nice receiver draft, not great. And they felt like Metcalf was better than anyone in this draft, and they might be right about that, so they made this move."
Pickens was productive in Pittsburgh, recording 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns on 174 catches over three seasons, but his behavioral issues seemed to wear the organization out.
He'll now get a chance to prove his worth with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in the Lone Star State before reaching unrestricted free agency next offseason, while Metcalf will take over as the Steelers' top option in the passing game.
