FILE – Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, center, performs drills during an NFL football practice at rookie minicamp, Friday, May 13, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
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 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.
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, often 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.
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.
