Behind the Steel Curtain
Why it made sense for the Steelers to trade George Pickens
After months of rumors and speculation, the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys on a trade for wide receiver George Pickens in exchange for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The Steelers are also sending a sixth-round pick to Dallas.
Ever since the DK Metcalf trade and immediate four-year extension for the talented receiver took place, I’ve said that trading Pickens was the likely move. He was on the final year of his deal, the Steelers weren’t going to extend him, and Metcalf and Pickens are practically the same receiver and are redundant of one another. And considering what lies ahead for the Steelers, this was a move that benefits them in multiple ways for the future.
For starters, the draft compensation they received in return. Pittsburgh is already slated to have four compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Per Over The Cap, the Steelers will get a third-round comp pick for Dan Moore, a fourth-rounder for Justin Fields, a fifth-rounder for Russell Wilson, and a sixth-rounder for James Daniels. Now, with an additional third-round pick to give them three in total, as well as another Day Three pick, the Steelers will have a ton of ammunition to trade up in the draft to get a quarterback.
As I wrote following the NFL Draft, the Steelers will all but certainly have to trade up for a quarterback they love in the draft next year. It’s a loaded class, and teams will be vying for the likes of Drew Allar, LaNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, and likely multiple others. The Steelers know they likely won’t be drafting in the top 10, meaning they have to get as much capital as possible to trade up in next year’s draft, and perhaps trade up twice like the Buffalo Bills did when they moved up to draft Josh Allen.
Now holding three third-round picks and five over the first two days in total, the Steelers have all the firepower they need to move up in the draft to take their hopeful franchise quarterback, and do it in Pittsburgh.
Plus, do you really want Pickens and the constant headache he brings influencing and impacting a rookie quarterback next year? Because that’s what would have happened if the Steelers hit him with the franchise tag. A holdout would certainly have taken place, which would come with constant noise and questions and would have been a major distraction. Get all the potential black clouds out of the building before getting the quarterback and put him in the best situation to succeed as possible.
I get why many fans are bummed. As of right now, Pittsburgh is in a similar spot that they were last year. However, there are still several names they can now bring in, via trade or free agent signing (which I’ll be highlighting in another piece very soon). This is a trade with the future in mind. And if...
