Steelers Coaxed Cowboys' Jerry Jones Into Bidding War With Himself

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a pair of fairly big moves at wide receiver throughout the 2025 offseason. The organization initially acquired DK Metcalf via trade from the Seattle Seahawks; and then about two months later, the team decided to trade George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2027. Some members of the Pittsburgh fan base are upset about losing Pickens, but it was the right move for a wide receiver who has been a pretty big distraction to the team since entering the NFL. Pickens has always been a trade candidate, but it is somewhat surprising to see the team actually pull the trigger.

It was surprising to see Pickens dealt, but it was even more surprising to see another team in the NFL that actually wanted him. The young receiver has been great on the field, but he has been reportedly been horrible to deal with behind the scenes. 

He is constantly late to all team activities, while also completely checking out of games at times. It was reported that ahead of the draft teams were laughing at the idea of bringing Pickens in, which is a big indictment on the Cowboys.

Former NFL Scout John Middlekauff spoke about the deal on a recent episode of his podcast 3 and out, and he was not a fan of the trade for Dallas and General Manager Jerry Jones. 

"If the Pittsburgh Steelers got on the phone and said, 'Hey, we got a wide receiver for you, do you know what I am saying?' Click, not interested." Middlekauf said. "No one wanted this guy except Jerry [Jones], because he's like, 'We're gonna catch lightning in a bottle here!' Probably not."

Historically, the Steelers have a pretty good idea of when to get rid of their wide receivers. Diontae Johnson was traded away during the 2024 offseason, and he has been on four different teams since leaving Pittsburgh. Another instance of this is when the Steelers traded Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick. Claypool never worked out for the Bears, and he is currently out of the league.

There are plenty of examples of good receivers in Pittsburgh getting traded away and then nothing else transpiring over the rest of their career, and Middlekauff thinks that will be the case for Pickens. If he can mature some in Dallas while learning to perfect his craft as a professional, he might be able to reach his full potential. The former scout doesn't believe that will happen.

"I would imagine that George Pickens is not gonna be on this team for that long, so to trade a valuable pick where you have literally found sweet players for cheap is a head scratcher." Middlekauff said. "I think this is more Jerry being Jerry and trying to win the deal and go, 'God, we got a steal' No, they're not really steals when making these trades. Anyone could have had this guy and clearly people were like, 'Yeah, not that interested.'"

The lack of interest around the league in a trade for Pickens could have a lot to do with his immaturity and his behavior, but it is likely also because he is going into the final season of his rookie deal. His team has already said he will play out the year in Dallas without an extension, and he will probably hit free agency during the 2026 offseason.

Steelers Took Advantage Of Jerry Jones

Jones has made some questionable decisions over the last several years while running the Cowboys. It is clear he wants to see his team win a Super Bowl before he moves on, and he is doing anything to make that happen. He has desperately wanted to improve the wide receiver position outside of CeeDee Lamb over the last year, and that was made clear when Dallas traded a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Jonathan Mingo. It was certainly an overpay, and it seems like Omar Khan got Jones to overpay once more.

What do you think of Middlekauff's thoughts on the deal? Let us know in the comments below!

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