Like any bad relationship, it was inevitable the Pittsburgh Steelers and George Pickens were headed toward a divorce. On Wednesday morning, it finally happened, as Pittsburgh dealt the talented yet emotionally immature Pickens and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
While it took longer than it should have, the Steelers obviously came to the conclusion they were better off trading Pickens than keeping him around in 2025. Pittsburgh wasn’t going to re-sign him after the season, so instead of dealing with more drama, the team decided to cut its losses in time to get something back in return in the form of the future draft picks.
The Steelers made the right decision trading Pickens, and they deserve credit for pulling the trigger on the deal. Yet at the same time, it’s also fair to criticize them for being in this situation in the first place.
All the warning signs were there in plain daylight when the Steelers were on the clock in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pre-draft evaluations of Pickens told the story of a talented player who couldn’t get out of his own way. Maturity issues overshadowed his success in college, and so far, it’s been the same story in the NFL.
The Steelers surely saw the warning signs, and as they had also done in recent years when it came to receivers, drove right through them. They decided to take a chance and gamble on Pickens’ potential, hoping that a strong locker room would make an impression on him. It didn’t.
Why Steelers deserve credit
Pickens showed up teammates during games by shouting at them, both on the field and on the sideline. He reportedly had issues being on time, including prior to Pittsburgh’s Christmas Day loss to the Chiefs this past season.
Pickens’ effort on the field had also been an issue, especially when he loafed following an interception during a loss to the Colts in December of 2023. It got so bad at that point that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had to hold a press conference shortly after that game to discuss Pickens and his future with the team.
During that presser, Tomlin reinforced that he and the Steelers were committed toward helping Pickens grow as both a person and as a professional football player. Pickens responded by having the best two-game stretch of his career while helping the Steelers clinch a playoff berth that season.
Pickens returned to his old ways not too long after that, though. He slammed his helmet before ripping the refs following Pittsburgh’s playoff loss to the Bills, a loss that saw him catch just five of 11 targets for 50 yards. Last year, during a loss to the Browns, Pickens had to be restrained by teammates after he got into a verbal altercation with fans.
Those are just some of Pickens’ lowlights during his time in Pittsburgh. But despite all of that, in addition to acquiring two-time Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf earlier this offseason, there was this belief — at least from the outside — that the Steelers would potentially have both Pickens and Metcalf in their starting lineup for 2025, giving them arguably one of the league’s best receiving duos. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Why Steelers deserve blame
Again, give the Steelers credit for cutting their losses now. But they never should have been here in the first place.
Instead of drafting Pickens back in 2022, the Steelers could have used that pick to select fellow wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who has enjoyed a solid career so far with the Bills. While not as physically gifted as Pickens, Shakir has had the better career when it comes to realizing his potential and helping his team win games. It’s safe to say the Bills (who signed him to a four-year, $53 million extension earlier this offseason) are happy they drafted him.
Instead of drafting a player with less risk, the Steelers instead followed the same path that led to them drafting receivers Martavis Bryant in 2014 and Chase Claypool in 2020. While both players were immensely talented, they also came with baggage in the form of character issues. Both players enjoyed brief periods of success with the Steelers before their time with the team was unceremoniously cut short.
This might be a good time to state the obvious that nobody is perfect and that there is no perfect draft prospect. Taking risks on players is part of the NFL. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. Every team has taken similar risks on players with the hope that it works out.
It appears, however, that some of the risks the Steelers have taken have backfired more frequently than other teams, especially at the receiver position. While the Steelers’ willingness to give players with character concerns a chance is admirable, it’s also a considerable risk that deserves questioning and even criticizing when it doesn’t work out.
The Steelers lost the 2016 AFC title game largely because of Bryant’s season-long suspension after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. They missed the playoffs in 2022 at least partly due the failed career of Claypool, who was dealt for a second-round pick before that year’s deadline.
Somehow, it feels as if the Pickens situation is worse than either of those two, largely because of his potential and the years of emotional and physical energy the team poured into him. The Steelers won’t get that time back, and they have little to show for it sans three more years of non-losing seasons and future draft picks they may or may not put to good use.
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
May 8, 2025 | 8:45 am
