Steelers Not Expected To Trade WR George Pickens Now That Draft Is Over

Dianna Russini of The Athletic thinks the trade buzz surrounding Steelers WR George Pickens will fade following the draft.

Russini revealed there were talks about trading Pickens during the draft, but she doesn’t believe it’s something that will come to fruition now.

“I can just tell you, right before the draft and during the draft [the Steelers] were calling around, teams were calling them, there were conversations flying around about George Pickens. But I think it’s probably at this point not going to be something we see happen,” Russini said.

Pickens’ name has been in trade talks all offseason as he enters the final year of his contract without a new deal. Those talks only heated up following the acquisition of WR D.K. Metcalf, as one AFC GM doesn’t think Pittsburgh wants to spend that much money on the receiver position. 

Pickens, 23, was a preseason All-American second-team selection in 2021 and second-team preseason All-SEC. The Steelers used the No. 52 overall pick on him in the 2022 NFL Draft.

He’s entering the final year of a four-year $6,752,177 rookie contract that included a $2,090,674 signing bonus.

In 2024, Pickens appeared in 14 games for the Steelers, making 12 starts and catching 59 passes for 900 yards receiving and three touchdowns.