The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially traded away George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. Obviously, the front office was not interested in dealing with his antics anymore, and they let him go the second they got an offer that they were satisfied with. There are still numerous questions that need to be answered, like how Pittsburgh plans to replace him. The deal essentially put them in the same situation they were in in 2024: one uber-talented wideout, and nothing much behind him on the depth chart.
However, the Steelers did not seem to be too focused on that. Insider James Palmer recently linked up with Bleacher Report saying that this has been the team's plan for a long time now.
"Let's find out if [George Pickens] can correct some of the things that were issues in Pittsburgh," said Palmer. "And by the way, this was decided in Pittsburgh years and years ago."
This plan could not have been made too long ago, as Pickens has only been with the Steelers for three seasons. He was drafted in the second round in 2022 with the knowledge that he had some potential character concerns to go along with his sky-high ceiling. If they truly decided that they never wanted to keep the young receiver prior to the 2024 season, there are even more questions that need to be answered.
For starters, the Steelers opted to trade Diontae Johnson in the 2024 offseason and keep Pickens. For reference, Johnson accomplished the rare feat of getting a second contract as a wideout in Pittsburgh. They supposedly trusted him enough to pay him, yet traded Johnson and his elite route-running abilities away in exchange for a cornerback.
Of course, that ended up working out for the Steelers, as Johnson ran himself out of two AFC Championship contenders after getting dealt again at the trade deadline. Afterwards, he signed a vet minimum deal in 2025 to try and prove himself again. He clearly had his own attitude issues, and they were on full display for the world to see, but that still doesn't explain why Pickens wasn't dealt away before him.
If this decision was made "years and years ago," how far back could it have possibly been decided? 2022 was not a long time ago. Could the Steelers have made this plan before he ever took an NFL snap? If that's the case, then it made no sense for them to draft him with a premier pick. Pittsburgh could have let him fall some more and looked to fix other positions, like offensive and defensive line.
Steelers' Omar Khan Is Looking To Turn The Tide
After that 2022 NFL Draft, General Manager Kevin Colbert retired, and the Steelers hired Omar Khan to build the team. During his first two seasons as general manager, Khan seemed to have one goal in mind: undo the mistakes that his former boss made. He cut and traded away numerous players that Colbert had drafted and/or signed in favor of players that he preferred, starting with trading away another disgruntled receiver in Chase Claypool.
If he truly didn't like many of Colbert's decisions, it is very possible that Khan was not in favor of selecting Pickens with a second-round pick. He's not the only highly touted Steelers pick from that class that got booted out of town quickly. Even without a long-term option at the position on the team, Khan knew one player in particular who would not be around much longer, and it was Pickens.
That still doesn't explain why Johnson was traded first. Khan was the one that gave him a two-year extension as opposed to Colbert. The new general manager had no issues giving him $18 million per year while also having character concerns, but he wanted nothing to do with Pickens. The whole situation is confusing. All we know is that the team finally got its chance to send him packing, and they didn't miss it.
