The Dallas Cowboys are expected to trade for star receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third-round pick and other pick swaps. For the Cowboys, it adds help to a thin receiving core and for Pittsburgh, it adds draft picks that could be used to facilitate a future trade or draft someone next season. How did we get here?
How Did We Get Here?
Pickens entered the last year of his rookie contract and hasn’t received an extension yet, which left his future in Pittsburgh up in the air. The Steelers would trade for Seattle Seahawks’ superstar receiver DK Metcalf before the NFL Draft for a second-round pick and give him a 5-year, $150 million extension. In theory, you give whoever your quarterback is two very talented receivers next season.
Pickens is coming off a solid season, catching 59 passes on 103 targets for 900 yards and three touchdowns. However, he’s also coming off a career-high six drops and missed three games due to injury. Despite his stellar play on the field, Pickens’ temperament has been known to run hot. He was fouled for multiple unsportsmanlike conduct issues, and told by head coach Mike Tomlin to “grow up.”
The Cowboys Make the Trade
Two days before the NFL Draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he was working on “pretty substantive trades” that could happen “before or after the draft“. Dallas had just traded for Carolina Panthers‘ receiver Jonathan Mingo in November for a fourth-round pick. During the draft, many suspected that if Pickens were to be traded to the Cowboys. This trade would happen less than two weeks later, giving them a big-play receiver to pair with Ceedee Lamb.
Final Thoughts
As a Steelers fan, I feel a little bummed out. I would have loved to see how the receiving duo of Pickens and Metcalf would have looked on the field, especially with Aaron Rodgers “allegedly” coming in. When we traded for Metcalf, I was excited! I thought about it, and Pickens and Metcalf are the same type of receivers– predominantly outside the numbers and vertical threats, so that left me concerned for Pickens’ future.
Paying DK $30 million a season allowed me to read the writing on the wall- Pickens might not be in the team’s future. Trading away Pickens puts us in the same predicament as last year, one big-time receiver and an interchangeable complementary cast.
