Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
The Steelers Move on From George Pickens by Trading Mercurial Receiver to Cowboys
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 weeks ago on
May 7, 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers trade wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, ending a turbulent three-year tenure. (AP File)

Share

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have run out patience with wide receiver George Pickens, agreeing Wednesday on a trade that sends the talented but mercurial 24-year-old to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Steelers will get a third-round pick in the 2026 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2027. The Cowboys get a sixth-round choice in two years.

The trade was first reported by ESPN.

Pickens’ NFL Journey

Pickens is about to enter the final year of the rookie deal he signed in 2022 when the Steelers took the former Georgia star in the second round. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Pickens has spent his first three seasons in the NFL being equal parts productive and petulant, mixing highlight-reel catches with bouts of immaturity along the way.

Pickens joins a Cowboys offense that could use another downfield threat to pair with star CeeDee Lamb. Dallas’ second-leading pass catcher behind Lamb last year was tight end Jake Ferguson, with Jalen Tolbert’s modest 49 receptions a distant third.

Cowboys Bolster Receiving Corps

Dallas didn’t address the need for a No. 2 receiver in the draft, with first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer saying he liked the youth that was already on the roster. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones made reference before the draft to “substantive” trades the Cowboys were pursuing. This qualifies as one.

The Steelers, particularly head coach Mike Tomlin, frequently backed Pickens as he endured what the team frequently described as a version of growing pains while he adjusted to life in the NFL.

Pickens has been one of the most dynamic receivers in the league when he’s on the field and engaged, which is not always a given. Pickens led the league by averaging 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 and has 174 receptions for 2,841 yards and 12 scores in 48 games.

A History of Volatility

Yet he’s also consistently struggled to keep his emotions in check. Last season alone he twice ended games by getting into dust-ups with opposing defensive backs, first when he grabbed Dallas’ Jourdan Lewis by the facemask and then when he tussled with Cleveland’s Greg Newsome II rather than try to get in position for a last-second Hail Mary.

That doesn’t include a fine for using an expletive on his eye black against the Cowboys, a rule he said he was unaware of at the time. Pickens also drew widespread criticism in 2023 for what could generously be described as inattentive downfield blocking for his teammates.

Considering his volatility, the Steelers didn’t seem interested in signing Pickens to a contract extension and he became expendable when they traded for two-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf in March, whom they promptly signed to a five-year contract.

AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Martínez Hits a 3-Run Homer in the Eighth Inning as Guardians Rally for Win Over Dodgers

DON'T MISS

CA Changes Track-and-Field Championships After Trans Athlete’s Success. What to Know

DON'T MISS

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

DON'T MISS

Trump Gives Harvard 30 Days to Contest End of International Student Enrollment

DON'T MISS

Republican Vote Against EV Mandate Felt Like an Attack on California, Democrats Say

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

DON'T MISS

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

DON'T MISS

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

UP NEXT

CA Changes Track-and-Field Championships After Trans Athlete’s Success. What to Know

UP NEXT

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

UP NEXT

Trump Gives Harvard 30 Days to Contest End of International Student Enrollment

UP NEXT

Republican Vote Against EV Mandate Felt Like an Attack on California, Democrats Say

UP NEXT

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

UP NEXT

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

UP NEXT

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

UP NEXT

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

UP NEXT

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

Trump Gives Harvard 30 Days to Contest End of International Student Enrollment

24 minutes ago

Republican Vote Against EV Mandate Felt Like an Attack on California, Democrats Say

29 minutes ago

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

52 minutes ago

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

1 hour ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

15 hours ago

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

15 hours ago

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

16 hours ago

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

16 hours ago

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

16 hours ago

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

16 hours ago

Martínez Hits a 3-Run Homer in the Eighth Inning as Guardians Rally for Win Over Dodgers

CLEVELAND — Angel Martínez hit a three-run, go-ahead homer and the Cleveland Guardians scored five times in the eighth inning to rally for a...

4 minutes ago

4 minutes ago

Martínez Hits a 3-Run Homer in the Eighth Inning as Guardians Rally for Win Over Dodgers

Save Girls Sports
5 minutes ago

CA Changes Track-and-Field Championships After Trans Athlete’s Success. What to Know

11 minutes ago

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 2024. The Trump administration said on Monday, March 31, 2025, that it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, accusing the school of allowing antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. (Sophie Park/The New York Times)
24 minutes ago

Trump Gives Harvard 30 Days to Contest End of International Student Enrollment

FILE — Traffic on Highway 101 in Los Angeles, May 25, 2023. The Republicans with full control of politics in Washington, delivered a sharp rebuke to the state this week by blocking California’s landmark plan to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)
29 minutes ago

Republican Vote Against EV Mandate Felt Like an Attack on California, Democrats Say

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
52 minutes ago

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

Aerial view of the Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur, California
1 hour ago

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
15 hours ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend