The Pittsburgh Steelers started their offseason with a bang, trading for and extending DK Metcalf just before free agency began. A couple of months later, they moved George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, essentially replacing Pickens with Metcalf in their WR1 role. That was part of a plan they had put into place months earlier, according to NFL insider Adam Caplan.
“They [Steelers] made a decision, at the end of the 2024 season, that they knew that they were not going to extend George Pickens’ contract,” Caplan said Monday on FOX Sports Radio. “There was no way this would work with Pickens, they felt. And they were going to move him for whatever they could get, the best they could get. And Dallas was very interested and they made that work.”
As soon as Pittsburgh traded for Metcalf, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Pickens. He didn’t have the most impressive 2024 season and was becoming more of a headache for the Steelers. He is in the last year of his rookie contract, and there didn’t seem to be any plan to keep him around on an extension. That, plus Metcalf and Pickens having similar play styles, seemed to bring an end to Pickens’ time in Pittsburgh.
Caplan suggests the Steelers always knew they were going to move George Pickens for the best price they could get. That tracks with some other reporting about the situation. The Cowboys reportedly upped their offer after the draft, when they didn’t find a receiver of their own. Then, the Steelers felt like they finally got the price they wanted.
However, they found Pickens’ replacement long before that trade was made. According to Caplan, that’s because they didn’t value the receivers in this year’s draft much.
“They had to get somebody to replace [Pickens], and they were not gonna wait for the draft,” Caplan said. “By the way, the word around the league was, nice receiver draft, not great. And they felt like Metcalf was better than anyone in this draft, and they might be right about that, so they made this move.”
If Metcalf works out in Pittsburgh, he’ll be well worth the second-round pick the Steelers traded for him. This year’s draft class wasn’t especially impressive at wide receiver. Metcalf has also already proven his NFL worth for years now. Although they traded for Metcalf before signing Aaron Rodgers, it makes more sense to have him than a receiver who would need to develop with Rodgers only being in Pittsburgh for a year.
The writing always seemed to be on the wall for George Pickens in Pittsburgh. As he heads into a contract year in Dallas, he’ll hope to turn his reputation around before hitting free agency. For the Steelers, they hope their move for Metcalf pays off in the long run.
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