Many NFL Teams “Laughed” at the Idea of Bringing George Pickens to Their Roster Before Cowboys Swooped In

The Cowboys lucked out with the George Pickens trade—if not for his reputation issues, Pittsburgh would’ve kept him or another team would’ve grabbed him before Jerry Jones could.

Many NFL Teams “Laughed” at the Idea of Bringing George Pickens to Their Roster Before Cowboys Swooped In

George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

There’s a common dialogue that circles the mouths of football fans and analysts: if Mike Tomlin has given up on a player, then there’s something wrong behind the scenes. George Pickens’ trade unquestionably fit the narrative.

Earlier this week, Jerry Jones shocked the football world by trading for Pickens. The Cowboys gave up a 2026 third-round and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

The Cowboys needed a wide receiver to free some workload off of CeeDee Lamb. According to Clarence Hill Jr., the Cowboys targeted Tetairoa McMillan but ended up losing him to the Carolina Panthers.

Jones didn’t draft another wide receiver and opted to bring a player who is in his last year of his rookie contract and has a reputation for being a troublemaker on and off the field.

As per the Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the Cowboys ended up being the only team to show interest in signing the former second-rounder.

Word leaked during the draft that Pickens was available if anyone wanted him. Some teams polled by The Athletic at the time laughed at the idea of inviting Pickens into their locker room for any price, let alone a second-day draft pick. There wasn’t a lot of interest in talking with the Steelers about a trade.

Jeff Howe wrote

If Jones and first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer can keep Pickens’ attitude in check, then they have a massive player in their hands.

WR George Pickens averages 16.3 yards/reception for his career. That ranks 1st among 44 players with 2,000 receiving yards across the last 3 seasons (2022-24). 1. George Pickens (16.3) 2. A.J. Brown (15.4) 3. Brandon Aiyuk (15.3).

Former NFL quarterback turned ESPN contributor Dan Orlovsky tweeted

Where does the George Pickens deal leave the Steelers?

The entire football world began questioning Tomlin and Omar Khan‘s motives after letting go of the player who was their best receiver for the last two years.

Many NFL Teams "Laughed" at the Idea of Bringing George Pickens to Their Roster Before Cowboys Swooped In
George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

Pickens and new acquisition DK Metcalf looked like a fearsome duo, ready to tear down defenses. They only required a quarterback to throw them the ball. Aaron Rodgers’ name was constantly linked with the Steelers even after they brought back Mason Rudolph and drafted CFP champion Will Howard.

Pickens’ absence raises the question of whether Rodgers will still be interested in becoming a quarterback of a team with a weakened wide receiver core. That’s still debatable. Owner Art Rooney hinted that the Super Bowl winner wants to be a Steeler, but that was before they traded Pickens.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back turned NFL analyst Ryan Clark summarized the situation beautifully.

It sounds like they’re tanking, and I know they are, because they’ve made other moves. But when you look at this roster, this roster can’t compete to have a winning season. This roster can’t compete to be a playoff team. This roster can’t compete to be an AFC champion. And in no time that I’ve been associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers have I felt that way.

Ryan Clark said on ESPN’s Get Up

The Steelers are quietly stockpiling draft picks. After the fire sale in the free agency, they acquired a total of four compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL draft. This took their draft tally to 12 total picks.

  • First-round pick
  • Second-round pick
  • Third-round pick (via Dallas Cowboys)
  • Third-round pick
  • Third-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
  • Fourth-round pick
  • Fourth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
  • Fifth-round pick
  • Fifth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
  • Sixth-round pick
  • Sixth-round pick (projected compensatory pick)
  • Seventh-round pick

Some of these could easily improve depending on the performances of their former players. For instance, the Giants gave the Steelers a fifth-round pick for Russell Wilson. If Wilson plays more than 10 games for the Giants, then that fifth would turn into a fourth-round pick.

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