George Pickens Rips Pittsburgh Steelers As 'Cheapest' NFL Franchise Following Trade To Cowboys
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last week for, essentially, a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (there was also a late-round pick swap in 2027). As a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, the 24-year-old receiver is in the final year of his rookie deal.
That meant the Steelers had to make a choice: sign Pickens to an extension, keep him and risk letting him hit free agency next offseason, or trade him with one-year left to get maximum value on the return. They, obviously, chose the third option.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens, who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, took to Instagram to rip Pittsburgh for being too cheap to sign him to a contract extension.
(Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
According to Pickens, it had much more to do with the Steelers not wanting to pay Pickens big money with a contract extension, and less to do with anything else. On Instagram, Pickens posted a comment that said, "They the cheapest organization. Ain't no stacking year after year they gone let them [n-words] go too soon it's time."
Talk about going scorched earth on your former NFL team!
Pickens played well in his three seasons in Pittsburgh and the Cowboys are counting on him to give them a true #2 behind star CeeDee Lamb, who has had at least 150 targets each of the past three seasons, including a whopping 181 in 2023.
Pickens averaged 58 catches and 947 yards in his three years as a Steeler, and that included missing three games last season. The question is whether Dallas is going to pay Pickens the money that he clearly wants. They have already committed $136 million to Lamb over the next four years.
Plus, quarterback Dak Prescott is in the first year of a four-year, $240 million extension signed in 2024. If that weren't enough, star defender Micah Parsons is in the final year of his rookie deal, and he's going to need a massive contract if the Cowboys want to keep him.
Add it all up, and Dallas might not have the money for Pickens, either. If that's the case, we might be seeing a similar tweet from the receiver next offseason when he potentially heads to his third team in less than one calendar year.