Most Steelers followers didn’t count on to get up Wednesday morning listening to a few George Pickens commerce. The Steelers receiver was despatched to the Dallas Cowboys, with a 2026 third-round choose being the principle return for the Steelers.
It felt like bizarre timing, to say the least. There have been rumors that the groups had been negotiating a Pickens commerce earlier than and in the course of the NFL Draft. When the draft got here and went, most began to really feel that Pickens would stay with the Steelers for the 2025 season in any case.
Clearly, that’s not the case. Offering extra context on the scenario, NFL insider Ian Rapoport joined The Insiders to shed some mild on the current negotiations between Dallas and Pittsburgh.
“This was simply the appropriate time to do that deal,” Rapoport mentioned. “The 2 sides did speak earlier than the draft, there was some hope from the Cowboys that this is able to get performed earlier than the draft… Clearly didn’t occur, and so right here we’re at this time.”
It could make sense that each side may need needed the deal performed earlier than the draft. That means, the Steelers would have a choose they will use on a participant for 2025 as a substitute of getting to stash it away. The Cowboys would have additionally favored a clearer image concerning their draft capital.
The Cowboys’ upping their provide appears to be the explanation the commerce occurred now. Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that the Cowboys initially supplied a fourth-round choose. Pittsburgh ended up getting a third-rounder as the principle piece as a substitute. Evaluating that report back to Rapoport’s timeline, issues begin to get clearer.
Dallas possible supplied a fourth-rounder of their negotiations in the course of the draft. The Cowboys didn’t add a receiver within the draft, and had an enormous gap on the place exterior of CeeDee Lamb. So, they upped their provide to a third-round choose this week, which Pittsburgh felt was a good return.
Whereas it’s simple to guage the deal now, it might take a while to see how issues work out in the long term for each side. The Cowboys arguably have a top-five receiving duo within the NFL. They’re pairing that with a wonderful quarterback in Dak Prescott. They’ll have to consider a Pickens extension, who coincidentally has the identical agent as Micah Parsons. So Jerry Jones will certainly take pleasure in that.
For a group in win-now mode like Dallas is, it is smart. As for Pittsburgh, they’d higher hope Roman Wilson has an amazing sophomore 12 months. As of now, they’ve one way or the other traded for DK Metcalf and are nonetheless going into the 12 months with a gap on the place. There’s a silver lining, although. Pittsburgh has a wealth of draft capital for the 2026 season. At this level, it looks like they’ve to maneuver up for a quarterback with all of these picks.
If the Steelers can flip this draft capital right into a profit, the George Pickens commerce shall be value it. If not, issues may get tough.
