Cowboys George Pickens Trade Surprises Steelers Leader

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated May 14, 2025 9:35 AM ET

If you are a regular reader of Cowboyscountry.com, you will know that the Dallas Cowboys' trade for George Pickens was something spoken about weeks before it happened.

But not everyone saw it coming, despite the Cowboys' glaring need for a No. 2 receiver.

We have heard so much about why the Pittsburgh Steelers offloaded one of their stars. His fiery on-field nature, plus some off-field issues, reportedly led to the Steelers making him Dallas' problem.

But even though Pickens wasn't the easiest to get along with, Steelers' defensive star Cam Heyward, when speaking on the Not Just Football podcast, revealed he was surprised to see George shipped out.

"I didn't know anything about it," Heyward said. "In my position, didn't expect to know. I woke up the next morning, and he had been traded. Was I surprised? Yeah, but the game is the game, I know it benefits both teams. Would I have liked to see George and DK [Metcalf] play together?

"Yeah, but hopefully there's something in the works."

So the Cowboys now have a genuine one-two combination that could be seen as one of the better tandems in football, and the Steelers have just DK Metcalf.

In a move that some say is a risk for Dallas, we think it is one worth taking.

Given how the offense functioned last year, yes, Lamb still put up good numbers, and with one shoulder for most of it, he needed help.

He gets it in Pickens, who himself can often torment defenses with his dynamic play-making ability and his speed to get downfield, something head coach Brian Schottenheimer and Dak Prescott will look to utilize.

Heyward was looking forward to Pickens and Metcalf playing together in 2025; instead, he gets to watch Lamb and Pickens go about their business for America's Team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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