May 7, 2025
The Dallas Cowboys' plan is for newly acquired wide receiver
George Pickens to play out his rookie deal in 2025, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The Cowboys swung a trade for Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday in exchange for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The 24-year-old Pickens gives Dallas a big upgrade at the No. 2 receiver spot behind All-Pro
CeeDee Lamb. Although Pickens is going to have plenty of competition for targets from Lamb -- he would have had that in Pittsburgh as well alongside
DK Metcalf -- the move to Dallas should be overwhelmingly positive for his fantasy value in 2025. Pickens will now be working with quarterback
Dak Prescott in an offense that could be very pass-heavy when considering their mediocre backfield options. The former second-rounder has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his three NFL seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
May 7, 2025
The Dallas Cowboys have officially announced that they acquired wide receiver
George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Pickens trade had been reported earlier in the morning on Wednesday, but the Cowboys' announcement provided details on the return package and officially confirmed the transaction. The trade gives Dallas a very strong No. 2 wide receiver alongside
CeeDee Lamb, perhaps reinforcing Dallas' desire to operate a pass-heavy offense in 2025. After all, the Cowboys have one of the NFL's weaker backfields, so being able to move the ball through the air is a priority. Pickens piqued Dallas' interest during the draft, and the Cowboys now make the move to get him less than two weeks later. For Pittsburgh, this trade downgrades an already weak offense. Although Pittsburgh did go out to get
DK Metcalf this offseason, they might struggle to get passing production out of a quarterback room that features
Will Howard,
Mason Rudolph, and
Skylar Thompson. The pass-catching depth chart is also weak beyond Metcalf and
Pat Freiermuth, and the backfield now features
Jaylen Warren after the team lost
Najee Harris in free agency. Metcalf remains a high-end WR3 option for fantasy purposes, Freiermuth could be a fine security blanket once again, and Warren figures to have heavy involvement on the ground. Meanwhile, Pickens' quarterback upgrade gives him a major fantasy boost. At the same time, there shouldn't be any panic about CeeDee Lamb; there are plenty of targets to go around, and he remains a strong fantasy WR1.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Cowboys
May 7, 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to trade wide receiver
George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for draft pick compensation. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the deal will include a third-round draft pick and other pick swaps. The move is expected to be finalized on Wednesday. Pickens is in the final year of his rookie deal and is ultimately looking for a contract extension in 2025. The 24-year-old hauled in 59 catches for 900 yards and three touchdowns over 14 games for the Steelers last season. Pickens should see an uptick in production in a better offense with the move to Dallas as quarterback
Dak Prescott's No. 2 option behind
CeeDee Lamb. Unless the Steelers bring in a wide receiver,
Roman Wilson,
Robert Woods, and
Calvin Austin III will compete for Pittsburgh's WR2 role behind
DK Metcalf. Pickens to the Cowboys is close to being finalized, and the trade details should be announced later on Wednesday.
Update: It's official.
The Cowboys have traded a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to the Steelers in exchange for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick.--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: Adam Schefter of ESPN
April 29, 2025
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
George Pickens' name was tossed around in trade discussions last week during the 2025 NFL draft, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, and the Dallas Cowboys were one of the teams that talked about bringing him in, according to sources. Nothing went down with Pickens, though, and now that the draft is over, it's expected that trade buzz surrounding Pickens will cool off. While the 24-year-old wideout was the subject of some trade talks, the Steelers never really seemed adamant about moving him and are excited about the possibilities in 2025 with a 1-2 receiver punch of Pickens and
DK Metcalf. Pickens' long-term future with the team is in question, though, as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal. The former second-rounder came short of the 1,000-yard mark for a second straight season, and his fantasy arrow is pointing down after the addition of Metcalf.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
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