The George Pickens trade doesn't feel any better a year later. On May 7, 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent Pickens packing his bags for the Dallas Cowboys. Their 2022 second-round pick would go on to have a career season on his new team.
Pickens raked in 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in his first year in Dallas. And the Steelers look like even bigger losers in the deal after they turned the third-round pick they received from the Cowboys (No. 76 overall in 2026) into polarizing quarterback Drew Allar.
But as much as it might pain fans to root for Pickens' success, we should all be hoping for the ex-Steelers wideout to have a monstrous showing in Week 3 of the 2026 season.
On Monday, the 2026 NFL schedule leaks slowly started to trickle in. We learned that Mike Tomlin would not be getting a Steelers game in his first assignment with NBC. We also learned that Pittsburgh's biggest AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens, will be facing the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, per Andrew Siciliano.
And with that, every Steelers fan will masquerade as a Cowboys fan... at least for a few hours.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be rooting for George Pickens and the Cowboys to take down the Ravens in Week 3
Nobody is saying you don't have the right to be upset about the Pickens trade. But for a few short hours in the first month of the season, Steelers fans and Cowboys fans can put aside their differences with one goal in mind: rooting for the Baltimore Ravens to lose in Week 3.
While one early-season game might not feel overly important, the AFC North was literally decided by a Week 18 contest between the Steelers and Ravens in January.
Once again, the Ravens pose the biggest threat to the Steelers. Baltimore has the best early odds to claim the AFC North crown and spoil Pittsburgh's hopes of snapping a ten-year drought without a playoff win. With a healthy Lamar Jackson and an energized new coaching staff, the Ravens could find new life in 2026.
That's where George Pickens comes in.
Though Pickens has become infamous for shying away in big moments (with his effort being questioned), he also has the capability to put up massive performances in any given game, thanks to his incredible ability to win down the field.
If Pickens goes off for a monstrous game against the Ravens, this could aid the Cowboys to a Week 3 win over Baltimore. In doing so, it could give the Steelers a potential leg up early in the season.
It always seems like it comes down to the wire between the Steelers and Ravens. With Mike Tomlin gone and uncertainty at quarterback, perhaps this will finally be the year that Pittsburgh isn't in the running for the division by the season finale.
We obviously won't know Pittsburgh's end-of-season status in September, but to be safe, we should root for George Pickens and the Cowboys to defeat the Ravens in Week 3.
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