Earlier this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a shocking move, sending a pair of picks in the 2025 NFL draft to the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver DK Metcalf and a 2025 sixth-round selection.
The transaction was followed by the two sides agreeing to a massive four-year, $132 million extension, making Metcalf the fourth-highest paid receiver in the league by average annual value ($32.99 million).
With Metcalf now locked in as their top receiver, Pittsburgh had the freedom to shop wide receiver George Pickens, and on Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers had a deal in place with the Dallas Cowboys.
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Pittsburgh is sending Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection.
That's strong value for the Cowboys, who can now work out a long-term deal with Pickens before he enters the final season of his rookie contract. He's currently set to have a $4.18 million cap hit in 2025.
The 24-year-old played collegiately at Georgia form 2019-21 and won a national championship in his final year with the Bulldogs before the Steelers took him in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.
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In his three professional seasons, Pickens has appeared in 48 games, catching 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Last year, he played in 14 games games and caught 59 passes for 900 yards and a career-low three touchdowns. Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.9 overall grade, ranking him 27th out of 98 qualified NFL receivers in 2024.
He'll now be Dallas' WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb while Pittsburgh will have to rely on Calvin Austin III and the newly-signed Robert Woods behind Metcalf.
That could end up being a huge drop off for whoever is under center for the Steelers this season. However, if they're focused on the 2026 NFL draft, it may not matter how the offense performs this year.
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