The Pittsburgh Steelers are finalizing a trade of star wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys , according to multiple media reports, then first of which was by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The trade has not yet been finalized, but is expected to be for multiple draft picks in compensation. Pickens, 24, was the team's second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He showed significant promise as an electric playmaker over three seasons, but also ruffled feathers within the organization with his behavior.
Pickens has one season remaining on his rookie contract , and is currently scheduled to become a free agent next March. The Cowboys will owe his $3.656 million salary in 2025. His trade will cause the Steelers to incur a $522,669 dead cap hit.
Pickens appeared in 48 games and made 40 starts over his three seasons in Pittsburgh. After making 52 catches for 801 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2022, he had his best season in black and gold in 2023, when he caught 63 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns.
In 2024, Pickens missed three games with a hamstring injury but still managed to record 59 catches for 900 yards and three touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 11, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers were never able to provide Pickens with a quarterback of equal promise. Over his three seasons, he had Mitch Trubisky , Kenny Pickett , Trubisky again, Mason Rudolph , Justin Fields and Russell Wilson as his quarterback.
Outside the whistles, Pickens appeared to be a relentless problem for the Steelers. In 2023, he was fined over $200,000 between the NFL and the Steelers for on- and off-the-field incidents, including reported serial tardiness to team practices and meetings.
In 2024, Pickens received over $80,000 in fines from the NFL for his on-field behavior, including unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, two fights after the end of a loss, and a profane message on his eye black. He also got into a sideline spat with fans.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens on the sideline during the Steelers-Cowboys game on Oct. 6, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Perhaps the most egregious of offenses was that Pickens arrived late to the team's Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs , missing pregame warmups despite the fact that he was returning to action from a hamstring injury.
Through all of that, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had defended Pickens.
"Certainly there's a lot of room for growth there," Tomlin said in his post-season press conference in January. "I think he covered some ground in 2024, but there's certainly a heck of a lot more ground to be covered and we'll see where it leads us."
The Steelers reportedly engaged in significant trade talks regarding Pickens during the 2025 NFL Draft, but no trade emerged at that time. Obviously, something changed over the ensuing week to cause general manager Omar Khan to pull the trigger.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : BREAKING: Steelers Trading Wide Receiver George Pickens to Cowboys
