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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Steelers trade receiver George Pickens to Cowboys

AP photo by Stephanie Scarbrough / Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens talks to reporters after the team lost to the host Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 11 in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
AP photo by Stephanie Scarbrough / Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens talks to reporters after the team lost to the host Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 11 in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. AP photo by Stephanie Scarbrough / Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens talks to reporters after the team lost to the host Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 11 in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have run out of patience with George Pickens, agreeing Wednesday on a trade that sends the talented but mercurial 24-year-old receiver to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Steelers will get a third-round pick in next year’s NFL draft and a fifth-rounder in 2027. The Cowboys get a sixth-round choice in two years.

The trade was first reported by ESPN.

Pickens is about to enter the final year of the rookie deal he signed in 2022 when the Steelers took the former University of Georgia star in the second round. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has spent his first three seasons in the NFL being equal parts productive and petulant, mixing highlight-reel catches with bouts of immaturity along the way.

Pickens joins a Dallas offense that could use another downfield threat to pair with star CeeDee Lamb, who had 101 catches for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns last season. The Cowboys’ second-leading player in catches behind Lamb last year was tight end Jake Ferguson (59 for 494 yards), with receiver Jalen Tolbert third (49 for 610).