George Pickens trade grades: Cowboys best Steelers in landing star wideout

The Dallas Cowboys struck a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers at sunrise Wednesday, as Dallas is sending a third-round pick to Pittsburgh and swapping Day 3 picks for star wide receiver George Pickens. After the Cowboys surprisingly passed on selecting a single wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft, CeeDee Lamb has his new running mate.

The Cowboys desperately needed to make a move at wide receiver. Apart from Lamb, this room included Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin and Parris Campbell. Last season, Pickens caught 59 passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games played. He caught 12 passes of 30+ air yards, which were the second-most recorded since the statistic was first tracked in 2006. 

While the 24-year-old hasn’t made a Pro Bowl or been selected to an All-Pro team, Pickens is viewed as a very talented wideout with a high ceiling. His 2,841 receiving yards are the third-most for any Steelers wideout in their first three seasons, trailing just Mike Wallace and JuJu Smith-Schuster. 

Who won this trade? Below, we will attempt to grade this transaction. First, here are the full details:

Cowboys get: WR George Pickens, 2027 sixth-round pick

Steelers get: 2026 third-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick

Cowboys: A-

At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Pickens is a legitimate perimeter threat that should have Dak Prescott giddy. He will open up things for Lamb, and vice versa. On paper, the Cowboys just created one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. After last year’s incredibly disappointing offseason and the forgettable 2024 campaign that followed, these are the kinds of moves that Cowboys fans want to see from Jerry Jones. 

As for the cons, Pickens has struggled to hold his emotions in check and cost his team yards with penalties, plus he has just one more year remaining on his rookie deal. The Cowboys would be losers in this trade if the 2025 season were to be a failure and Pickens left in free agency. However, this is the kind of swing I like to see from a team that wants to win football games. 

Dallas has been busy with trades as of late. Dating back to last season’s trade deadline, the Cowboys have made five trades. Dallas sent the Carolina Panthers a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Jonathan Mingo plus a seventh-round pick, acquired Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam in a late-round pick swap, picked up Tennessee Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray in a 2025 late-round pick swap, added New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III to the roster for a fifth-round pick and now Pickens is on his way to Dallas. 

Steelers: B-

The Steelers did trade for and extend DK Metcalf this offseason, so parting ways with Pickens is not the biggest surprise in the world. But if you were to go back in time and tell yourself that the Steelers would be trading Pickens away for a third-round pick, you would be pretty disappointed. This was a wide receiver that had legitimate WR1 potential, and he led the league in yards per reception (18.1) in 2023 while recording his first 1,000-yard receiving campaign with 1,140 yards and five touchdowns on 63 receptions. However, he never reached his ceiling in Pittsburgh — for a number of reasons. One, Pickens suffered through inconsistent quarterback play, which included Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but Pickens also hurt himself.

There’s zero doubt Pickens struggled to control his emotions on the field. He was fined $20,462 for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a close game against the Cincinnati Bengals last season, leading head coach Mike Tomlin to say his wide receiver has to “grow up in a hurry.” Pickens also scuffled with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II at the end of an entertaining Week 12 affair, and was held back by security and at least one official. There were shouting matches with fans and coaches, and he even pulled down Jourdan Lewis by his face mask when the Steelers faced the Cowboys last year. 

On one hand, Pickens’ frustrations are a representation of Steelers’ fans frustrations with the offense’s performance over the past few years, but at the same time, this was a legitimate talent that Pittsburgh and Tomlin were unable to develop. It would be a shame if he blossoms in another situation.