What reportedly concerned George Pickens before trade from Steelers to Cowboys

Shortly after it was reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were trading wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly of "The Pat McAfee Show" revealed that Pickens "didn't request the trade." 

However, it seems Pickens isn't losing any sleep about having a new football home while in the final year of his rookie contract.

"The Steelers' unsettled quarterback situation gave Pickens pause about his financial future," Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News wrote for an article published on Wednesday night. "And knowing this, the Steelers decided to put him on the market. Pickens wanted to play for a team with some stability at quarterback, which is something Dallas provides."

Pickens never played with a long-term QB1 during his time with the Steelers, which began when the organization made him a second-round pick in the 2022 draft. Pittsburgh gave up on 2022 first-round choice Kenny Pickett after just a pair of campaigns. Pickens then caught passes thrown by Justin Fields and Russell Wilson last season, but the club let both of those signal-callers reach free agency in March. 

As of Thursday morning, there was no indication that future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers was on the cusp of signing with the Steelers. Longtime backup Mason Rudolph would be on track to start if the club had to prepare to play a game this spring. 

The Steelers clearly didn't want to lock Pickens down via a multi-year extension after they handed DK Metcalf a five-year contract worth $150M earlier this offseason. Pickens now gets to share an offense with Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, who was a 2023 MVP finalist when head coach Brian Schottenheimer was Dallas' offensive coordinator. 

Prescott's 2024 campaign ended prematurely due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9. The Cowboys ultimately finished the season with a 7-10 record.

Both Kaboly and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted that Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was ready to move on from Pickens after the 24-year-old caused the Steelers numerous headaches over his final two seasons with the club. It sounds like Pickens also wanted a fresh start as he looks to land a lucrative contract next offseason. 

"A person with knowledge of the receiver’s thinking told The News that Pickens isn’t seeking a contract extension with the Cowboys, knowing he must prove himself," Watkins added in his piece.