Despite being just 24 years old and coming off back-to-back seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ leading wide receiver, George Pickens is on the move.
In a surprising turn, the Steelers traded Pickens while he’s still playing on his rookie contract – which carries a relatively modest $3.656 million cap hit in 2025.
The team shipped him out in exchange for a third-round pick and a swap of draft selections, continuing a familiar trend under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Whenever Tomlin parts ways with a receiver, history suggests the player’s best days may be behind him.
Pittsburgh has dealt several wideouts in recent years – including Santonio Holmes (2010), Martavis Bryant (2018), Antonio Brown (2019), Chase Claypool (2023), and Diontae Johnson (2024) – but none found consistent success with their new teams.
Veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward addressed that trend on his Not Just Football podcast following the May 7 trade.
“I think we’ve got to look at the track record of trading wide receivers,” Heyward said. “There’s been some good history behind this and when to do it, what to expect.
“I was looking at a stat. There’s only been like three or four receivers that made it past the rookie contracts with the Steelers. It’s crazy.
“You had AB. You had Diontae Johnson. You had Hines Ward. I think you had JuJu [Smith-Schuster] for another year. For the most part, they know when to re-sign and when to trade, and we’ll see what happens… We could be a better team because of it.”
The Pickens trade caught even longtime teammates off guard.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” Heyward revealed. “I woke up the next morning, and he had been traded.
“Was I surprised? Yeah, but the game is the game. I know it benefits both teams. We get another third-round pick. They get a wide receiver to go along with CeeDee Lamb.
“Would I have liked to see George and DK play together? Yeah, but hopefully there’s something in the works. I don’t know.”
The Steelers had seemingly tipped their hand earlier in the offseason when they traded a second-round pick to Seattle and signed DK Metcalf to a five-year, $150 million deal.
That move now looks like a clear replacement plan for Pickens.
It’s also impossible to ignore the fact that Pickens was becoming quite a headache for Tomlin and company.
Despite his clear talent, Pittsburgh decided to move on – and as Heyward stated, the Steelers “could be a better team because of it.”
What are your thoughts on Heyward’s comments? … Do YOU think the Steelers are better off without Pickens???
