George Pickens Trade Terms
The Cowboys finalized a trade to acquire Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Fantasy Football Impact
The 24-year-old Pickens will pair up with CeeDee Lamb, giving Dallas the No. 2 receiver they've sought this offseason. They could form a long-term duo if all goes well, with Pickens heading into just his fourth NFL season.
After being selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Pickens led Pittsburgh in receiving yards in 2023 and 2024. In 14 games last season, he caught 59 passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns. He missed three games with a hamstring injury late in the season but returned in time for the playoffs, where he added five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh's 28-14 loss in the Wild Card round to the Ravens.
The 2023 season in Pittsburgh was Pickens' best in the NFL, with 1,140 receiving yards on 63 receptions and five touchdowns, all career highs. He accomplished this feat with three different starting quarterbacks: Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky.
So why are the Steelers moving on?
NFL.com notes that following the acquisition of DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, it seemed feasible that Pittsburgh could move Pickens -- like Metcalf, a big-play receiver specializing in contested catches.
In addition, ESPN.com reminded readers that Pickens missed three games in 2024 because of a hamstring strain and had several on-field incidents. Pickens was flagged twice for unsportsmanlike conduct in a Week 13 win against the Bengals. A week earlier, he was involved in a scuffle with Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II during a Hail Mary attempt.
"He's just got to grow up, man," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the win over the Bengals. "This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He's got a target on his back because he's George; he understands that. But he's got to grow up. He's got to grow up in a hurry."
Pickens will try to achieve that growth in Dallas, working alongside Lamb with Dak Prescott as his quarterback.
But they'll need more than that. The Cowboys will eventually need to open their checkbook to keep the newcomer.
Pickens enters the final year of his four-year rookie contract. He's due to make $3.526 million. Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio wrote: "It will be impossible for the Cowboys to justify paying Pickens without seeing him play, especially since they still haven't paid a dominant defensive player they have seen play for four years. Pickens necessarily gets in line behind Micah Parsons, and perhaps others like 2022 first-round guard Tyler Smith."
Even if they decide to keep Pickens, it will be hard for him to get what he reportedly wants -- $30 million per year. Combined with the deal Lamb signed last year (that pays an average of $34 million annually), that would be a lot of money to invest in the receiver position.
Focusing on the field, Lamb will continue to dominate target share in this offense, with Footballguy Jason Wood expecting about an 18 percent target share. That will be a significant hit after Pickens drew a 26.5 percent share in Pittsburgh last year. But he will enjoy a noticeable upgrade at quarterback.
Before this trade, Pickens was WR48 in the Footballguys 2025 Projections.
He moves to WR43 with Wood's initial view that Pickens becomes a viable WR3 with upside, particularly if Lamb gets hurt.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
The Cowboys will have Prescott back after he missed the final nine games last season with a hamstring avulsion that required surgery. With Lamb and Pickens, the Cowboys have their strongest wide receiver tandem since Lamb was paired with Amari Cooper in 2020-21.
Wood believes this move helps Prescott's floor and likely makes him a top-15 option (he's currently projected as QB20, which reflects his QB18 Average Draft Position in early Underdog best-ball drafts). Wood is still not comfortable viewing Prescott as a fantasy QB1 because he expects Dallas to rely much more heavily on Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, and Miles Sanders in the ground game as new coach Brian Schottenheimer tries to balance the offense in 2025.
Lamb led the Cowboys with 101 receptions for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns before ending the 2024 season on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury with two games remaining.
Lamb's role is secure as long as Prescott remains on the field. The consensus WR1 heading into 2024, Lamb is currently the fifth player off the board on Underdog as the WR3 overall.
Beyond that, Dallas hasn't had a single receiver other than Lamb reach 700 receiving yards since 2021.
Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022, set career highs last season in catches (49), yards (610), and touchdowns (seven, which led the team). Return specialist KaVontae Turpin demonstrated big-play ability last year, but his role doesn't lend itself to consistent production. The Cowboys sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Panthers for Jonathan Mingo last year. He caught five passes for 46 yards but did not play with Prescott.
After a breakout 2023 season, tight end Jake Ferguson was slowed by a knee injury and a concussion last year. Those injuries and Prescott's absence held Ferguson to fewer than 500 receiving yards. He's projected to finish as TE13 this season.
Moving on from Pickens completes a massive offensive overhaul for the Steelers, who have now parted ways with their leading wide receiver from 2024, their leading rusher (Najee Harris, signed with Los Angeles Chargers), and their leading passer (Russell Wilson; signed with New York Giants).
The Steelers are awaiting an answer from quarterback Aaron Rodgers about whether he will play in 2025.
Metcalf's current WR24 will likely rise slightly, with Calvin Austin III and Robert Woods next in line for regular roles and Pickens' vacated targets. Wood believes there's a chance that, if they have Rodgers in the pocket, the Steelers could try to add one of the remaining free agents at the position, Cooper or Keenan Allen, to bolster their receiving room, which also includes 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, Brandon Johnson, and Lance McCutcheon.
Pat Freiermuth could benefit from Pickens' vacated targets and lack of high-end options at wideout.
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Overview
The Dallas Cowboys' search for a No. 2 wide receiver opposite Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb has landed them George Pickens. The Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a trade Wednesday that will send Pickens to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick. The Cowboys will also send a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Steelers and get back a 2026 sixth-round pick. Lamb will continue to dominate the targets in Dallas, but Pickens will get an upgrade with Dak Prescott at quarterback. Pickens should be viewed as a WR3 with upside in his new home.
