Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers made an aggressive move to trade for Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf, only to send George Pickens packing to the Dallas Cowboys, fans have had major trade remorse. And with Metcalf's struggles, this has gone from bad to worse.
With a week and counting until the NFL trade deadline, some Steelers fans and even former NFL players have floated a wild idea: why not undo the trade mistake by snatching Pickens back from the Cowboys? After all, Pickens is on an expiring deal and needs a new contract, while a 3-5 Dallas team has the look of a bottom dweller right now.
But that's not possible—and not just because the Steelers don't want him around the locker room.
There's a legal reason the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot trade for George Pickens
By NFL rules, a player cannot be traded back to the team that traded him away within two calendar years of the initial trade. This is a scenario we don't run into often, but it's put in place for times like this.
In the case of the Steelers and a potential Pickens trade, because Pickens was traded on May 7, 2025, Pittsburgh's front office would not be able to reacquire Pickens via trade until after May 7, 2027—and who knows where Pickens or the Steelers will be at that time.
Legally, the Steelers can't trade for Pickens until late next spring. But even if this NFL rule wasn't in place, there's a bigger reason they would never do this.
George Pickens burned every bridge with the Pittsburgh Steelers
As fans, I think we often see what a player is doing on the field and forget about all of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Pickens wasn't traded because he was a bad football player. His size and acrobatic ability have made him one of the league's most talented receivers since entering the NFL in 2022. We already knew that.
But Pickens burned every bridge possible in Pittsburgh before he was finally sent packing.
There's a reason the Steelers sent one of their most talented players away, despite being 24 years old, being on a rookie contract, and playing a premium position: he was a problem.
Long before the trade, Pickens' lack of effort showed up on the football field at times, as he'd too often pout if the football didn't come his way. And when it came to dealing with the media, Pickens gave immature, questionable responses. During one media session in January 2025, Pickens refused to answer a question and immediately walked away from the media.
Quite simply, Pickens never got with the program in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers could no longer put up with it—even as talented as he is.
It's true that Pickens had a 1,400-yard, nine-touchdown Pro Bowl season in Dallas in 2025, and it's not hard to believe that the Cowboys could trade the talented receiver before the deadline. In fact, rumors are starting to swirl that he could be on the block.
But legally, the Pittsburgh Steelers can't trade for George Pickens right now, even if they want to—and I can assure you that they don't want to after everything he's put them through.
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