The Pittsburgh Steelers finally were able to trade George Pickens, with the Dallas Cowboys being the winner of the sweepstakes for the talented wide receiver. Dallas will send a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh, while the Steelers will also include a 2027 sixth-round pick in the Pickens deal.
Pickens ends his controversial tenure in Pittsburgh with one 1,000-yard season in his three years with the Steelers. Altercations with fans and an inability to control his emotions made things go south with Pickens and the Steelers, who have been looking to move on from the talented wideout for some time.
The Cowboys will pair Pickens up with four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, giving quarterback Dak Prescott arguably the best wide receiver duo he's ever had. While the Cowboys still have to sign Pickens to an extension, Dallas has one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL.
In the aftermath of the Pickens trade, will it work out for Dallas? Here are some overreactions from the trade on the Dallas and Pittsburgh side, including which are indeed overreactions and which are reality.
The Cowboys have to make the playoffs this year
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Believe it or not, the Cowboys had a quietly good offseason. They were active in free agency in signing pass rusher Dante Fowler and running back Javonte Williams while acquiring cornerback Kaiir Elam and linebacker Kenneth Murray in trades. They drafted guard Tyler Booker in the first round and pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round.
Dallas revamped its running back room and solidified an offensive line that was already good. Trading for George Pickens was icing on the cake for an offense that needed to be revamped this offseason, one that is also getting Dak Prescott back from a partial hamstring avulsion that cost him his 2024 season.
The Cowboys are good enough to make the playoffs with Pickens, even in a very good NFC East. If Dallas doesn't make the playoffs, this will be a massive disappointment for a franchise that significantly improved this offseason.
The Steelers have no idea what they're doing
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
When Pittsburgh acquired D.K. Metcalf this offseason, the Steelers seemingly were set to prepare for the 2025 season with one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL with Metcalf and Pickens. All Pittsburgh needed was a quarterback to give them the ball.
The Steelers ended up not bringing Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields back, and didn't draft a quarterback until Will Howard in the sixth round. Their quarterback depth chart is currently Howard, Mason Rudolph, and Skylar Thompson. To put the cherry on top, the Steelers dealt Pickens to the Cowboys.
The Steelers offense has been significantly impacted by the Pickens trade, a unit that arguably has the worst quarterback room in the NFL. The running back position now consists of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell while the top wide receivers are Metcalf, Robert Woods, and Calvin Austin III.
If the Steelers can sign Aaron Rodgers, this unit is better. The truth of the matter resolves in the Steelers needing a franchise quarterback, but this franchise never has a losing seaosn under Mike Tomlin. Perhaps the Steelers think they need to take a step back to go two steps forward, which would be the case if they struggle in 2025.
Having a poor season would help the Steelers in the future. This organization wants to win, but being good enough isn't good enough anymore.
George Pickens is the next Roy Williams for the Cowboys
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Cowboys made a blockbuster trade for a good young wide receiver before. Back in 2008, Dallas sent a 2009 first-round pick, 2009 third-round pick, 2009 sixth-round pick, and 2010 seventh-round pick for Pro Bowl wide receiver Roy Williams -- then signed him to a five-year, $45 million extension.
This deal was at the trade deadline, but the move was supposed to put the Cowboys over the top after finishing 13-3 the season prior with the NFC's best record. The Cowboys had Williams and Terrell Owens at wide receiver, Jason Witten at tight end, and Tony Romo at quarterback. On paper, Dallas appeared to be one of the best teams in the NFL.
Dallas flamed out with Williams, missing the playoffs in that 2008 by losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in a win-and-in game to advance to the postseason on the last Sunday of the season. Williams had just 19 catches for 198 yards and a touchdown in 10 games with Dallas after having 3,884 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in 60 games with the Detroit Lions -- and a Pro Bowl appearance.
Williams never amassed 600+ yards in a season with the Cowboys, one of the colossal disappointments in franchise history. Could the same happen with Pickens?
Pickens just turned 24 years old, so he's three years younger than Williams. He has as many 1,000-yard season as Williams did when he arrived in Dallas (one), but the Cowboys gave up significantly less to acquire him. Pickens may have more baggage than Williams when he arrived in Dallas, but the potential to succeed is significantly greater.
This is a blockbuster trade for a talented wide receiver, but odds are the Pickens trade works out better for Dallas than the Williams one did.
This is Prescott's last chance to make a deep playoff run
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Prescott's failures in the playoffs have been well documented. The Cowboys quarterback is 2-5 in his postseason career, tied for the worst postseason record for any quarterback who has made a minimum of five playoff starts. He still hasn't made a conference championship game in his 10 seasons in the league, despite quarterbacking a team that has won 12+ games in four of the five times he has made the postseason.
Prescott's two playoff wins were against teams with a combined 18-15 record (.545 win percentage). His playoff losses are against teams with a combined 57-27 record (.679), three of which were at home. The Cowboys are 5-13 in the playoffs since winning their last Super Bowl in the 1995 season and have the NFL record for most consecutive playoff appearances without reaching a conference championship game (12). This is a significant stain on a very good career for Prescott.
Outside of an MVP award, Prescott has accomplished nearly everything a quarterback could accomplish in the regular season. He's won a Rookie of the Year award, been an MVP runner-up, was selected to an All-Pro team, and won multiple division titles. The Cowboys are 76-46 in Prescott's starts and never had a losing season in which Prescott has started 10+ games.
Prescott is 32 years old and time is running out to deliver a championship to Dallas, With Pickens on the roster, Prescott arguably has the best wide receiver duo to throw to in his career (CeeDee Lamb). He has a good, young offensive line and a revamped running back room to prevent him from throwing 40+ times every game. The defense should also be significantly better in 2025 as well, especially once the Cowboys get Micah Parsons signed to an extension.
If Prescott can't lead the Cowboys on a deep playoff run over the next two seasons, he never will.
Aaron Rodgers won't sign with the Steelers due to the George Pickens trade
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
While the Pickens trade significantly impacts the Steelers offense, surely Rodgers had to understand this was a possibility while considering Pittsburgh. The Steelers showed every indication of moving on from Pickens prior to the draft -- and even tried to trade him during the draft. Pickens and Metcalf also played the same role in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's system, another sign Pickens was on the move. The Steelers also had their fill of Pickens and his antics, and didn't sign him to a contract extension this offseason (despite this being the last year of his rookie contract).
Rodgers may still be waiting for the Minnesota Vikings to pick up the phone, but the Steelers are still the best chance for him to start in 2025 if he's looking for a starting quarterback job. Other teams could call Rodgers this summer, but the Steelers appear to be his best option -- with Pickens on the roster or not.
Perhaps Rodgers has second thoughts now, but the future Hall of Fame quarterback still hasn't signed anywhere yet. Trading Pickens shouldn't chance anything regarding his thought process, whatever that is.
