Statistically, George Pickens fits the profile of a player a team should want to sign long-term before the expiration of his rookie contract. He has averaged 58 receptions, 947 yards receiving, and four touchdowns during his three NFL seasons. Pickens led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 when he had his only 1,000-yard receiving season (1,140).
The Pittsburgh Steelers opted to trade the equivalent of a second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver DK Metcalf in March. Metcalf received a four-year contract extension, averaging nearly $33 million per year, in connection with the trade where $60 million was fully guaranteed at signing.
The Steelers had reservations about Pickens because of his attitude and immaturity. Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick were dealt to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in May.
The grass hasn’t always been greener on the other side when wide receivers leave Pittsburgh. Multiple wide receivers have had their careers take a downward spiral after playing for the Steelers. The big exception to this Pittsburgh wide receiver curse is Emmanuel Sanders. The best seasons of Sanders’ NFL career came after he left the Steelers in 2014 free agency for the Denver Broncos.
Pickens seems to be embracing his change of scenery. “It was good for me,” Pickens recently told NFL Media’s Jane Slater. “Just strictly because, you know, when you’re somewhere long and you build a certain record, a certain label – whether that’s good, great, or bad – you just want a fresh start. That’s how I feel like it is with a lot of people in life.”
Ideally, CeeDee Lamb and Pickens will form the best wide receiver duo the Cowboys have had since the 2020 and 2021 seasons when Lamb was paired with Amari Cooper. If all goes well and Pickens is on his best behavior, he could be in line for a multiyear contract with Dallas or in free agency in excess of $25 million per year. An inability by Pickens to learn from his Pittsburgh experience could mean a one-year “prove-it” deal in 2026.
