George Pickens Trade Breakdown

Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick. This trade made sense for both sides, as the Cowboys got another receiving threat next to star receiver Ceedee Lamb, and the Steelers got rid of a player who had anger management issues. In this article, we are going to be breaking down the trade, giving both teams a rating, and discussing how it will affect fantasy football in this upcoming season.

In 2024 with the Steelers, Pickens caught 59 passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns. Pickens has shown time and time again that he can make the impossible catches, as he reeled them in constantly last season. The problem with Pickens, however, isn't really about catching the football. There were endless unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness penalties on Pickens last season, as well as two games ending in him trying to start a fight. The Steelers seemed to have had enough of it, and traded him.

We would give the Cowboys a B+ on this trade, because they got one of the best hands in football, but also they now have to deal with Pickens. With this offense of Dak Prescott, Ceedee Lamb, and now George Pickens, the Cowboys have quickly come to be one of the best offenses in the league. They still will have to deal with injuries, as Prescott has had his fair share of those in the past. Overall, they still got a really good deal.

We would give the Steelers a B- on this trade, partly because they gave up their best receiver since Antonio Brown and only got a third round pick back in return. But as we have said, they don't have to deal with George Pickens anymore, so they will have that burden off their back for now. They could still use this third round pick for good too, as they got Pickens in the late second round and they have gotten many other great third round picks. It was good for the Steelers to move off Pickens and move forward with (maybe) Aaron Rodgers to try and keep the Mike Tomlin over .500 streak going.

In conclusion, this trade was sort of a win-win for both teams, and for very different reasons. Fantasy-wise, Pickens' value will still be relatively the same with this Cowboys team, as Ceedee Lamb will steal some of the targets, but they also throw the ball way more than the Steelers did. Lamb's value will slightly decrease with Pickens stealing some of his targets, but other than that there will be no major changes for fantasy football.