If Pittsburgh Steelers fans didn't have regrets about trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2025 season, they do now. Against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football in Week 11, Pickens had a performance that even put fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to shame.
From early in the game, Pickens proved to be quarterback Dak Prescott's favorite target. The fourth-year receiver and former 2022 second-round pick carved up a suspect Raiders secondary. Las Vegas had no answer for Pickens. By the end of the Cowboys' 33-16 blowout win, Pickens finished with nine receptions on 11 targets for 144 yards and a touchdown.
Despite playing just 45 offensive snaps for Dallas in Week 11, Pickens was targeted frequently on the field—catching 81.8 percent of passes thrown in his direction at 16.0 yards per reception. This aided Prescott to a 149.1 passer rating when targeting Pickens. Shockingly, this was the third time this season Prescott had a passer rating at least this high when throwing at his new weapon.
Here's the most disheartening part for Steelers fans: Pickens is on track for All-Pro level production in his first season with the Cowboys.
In just 10 games, Pickens has more yards and touchdowns than he did all last season with the Steelers. Prorated over a 17-game season, Pickens is now on track for 98 receptions, 1,543 yards, and 12 touchdowns. This is a sucker-punch to Steelers fans who were already having a hard time putting this trade behind them.
The Dallas Cowboys already won the George Pickens trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers
By now, it's painfully obvious who won this trade: the Dallas Cowboys. At the cost of just a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, Dallas was able to add an elite pass-catching option to their arsenal. Considering that Pickens is just 24 years old, he could be a cornerstone for Prescott and the offense for years to come if his new team hands him a massive contract extension next offseason.
Even if the Cowboys decide to let Pickens walk in free agency (for whatever reason), they would almost certainly net a third-round compensatory pick for his departure, which would essentially feel like it didn't cost them anything in the original trade with the Steelers.
Pickens is proving to be one of the best receivers in the NFL this season. This is a hard pill to swallow for Steelers fans. But this is also a good time to remind everyone that it was never going to work out in Pittsburgh.
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Because of his inconsistencies, multiple on-field effort issues, and numerous questionable and immature responses to the media, Pickens forced the Steelers' hand into a trade. Relationships were tarnished to the point of complete toxicity. Even if he had played out the final year of his rookie contract in Pittsburgh, the Steelers would have never felt comfortable signing him to a huge contract extension.
DK Metcalf hasn't been all that was advertised, and it's clear that the two-time Pro Bowler has his limitations. But at least Metcalf has been a team player who hasn't been a distraction from the ultimate goal due to childish antics.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to fix the wide receiver position eventually, and in theory, George Pickens could have been the guy. However, it would have never worked out. As a result, the Dallas Cowboys are the clear winners here. Now Mike Tomlin and the Steelers can only hope they find a respectable replacement soon.