Steelers Blasted for Trade That Destroyed Their Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a significant trade to bolster their offense back in March, acquiring wide receiver D.K. Metcalf in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. But then, the Steelers put themselves back at square one two months later, jettisoning fellow receiver George Pickens in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

Clearly, moving Pickens was not the best idea, as Pittsburgh is now just 6-6 on the year, and a big reason for the team's struggles is a dearth of options in the aerial attack.

Mike Jones of The Athletic revisited the Pickens trade following the Steelers' Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and he feels it's a move they may like to have back.

"Pittsburgh’s decision to trade George Pickens to Dallas looks worse and worse as the season goes on," Jones wrote. "He has 1,142 receiving yards and eight touchdowns for the Cowboys, which is more than Pittsburgh’s wide receiving unit as a whole. He had issues with maturity and professionalism in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers didn’t want to reward Pickens with a rich contract extension. But they certainly miss his production."

Pickens spent the first three seasons of his career in Steel City after being selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

He never made a Pro Bowl with the Steelers, but he flashed incredible potential, particularly during his sophomore campaign when he hauled in 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 18.1 yards per catch to lead the league.

The 24-year-old definitely had a disappointing year with Pittsburgh in 2024, and his behavioral issues drove head coach Mike Tomlin up a wall. However, he has been pretty well-behaved in Dallas, and he is establishing himself as one of the best receivers in football.

Would keeping Pickens have masked all of the other issues the Steelers have? Maybe not, but it certainly would have made their offense better, as evidenced by the fact that they managed just 166 total yards in their loss to the Bills.

Pittsburgh was 4-1 at one point earlier this season, but the Steelers have absolutely fallen apart in recent weeks, and while their playoff hopes certainly aren't on life support (they are still tied for first place in the AFC North), there appears to be very little reason for optimism.

Pittsburgh will face the Baltimore Ravens with first place on the line next Sunday.