Steelers Make Franchise History With George Pickens Trade

While the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive core has remained largely intact this offseason, the same cannot be said about the other side of the ball. 

After trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys while losing Russell Wilson and Najee Harris to the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively, in free agency, Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot noted that the team lost their leading passer, rusher and receiver from the year prior in the same offseason for the first time in franchise history.

Change was necessary for Pittsburgh, whose long-standing offensive struggles largely persisted under first-year coordinator Arthur Smith in 2024. 

As a team, the Steelers finished inside the bottom-10 across the league in yards per game with 319.4 while averaging 22.4 points. Both of those numbers marked improvements over what the team posted in 2023 at 304.3 and 17.9, respectively, but it still wasn't enough to get them over the hump.

After finishing last season on a five-game losing streak, Pittsburgh let Wilson and Harris hit the open market without showing a ton of interest in bringing either player back.

The Steelers made up for the loss of Harris by drafting Iowa's Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft while also signing Kenneth Gainwell. As for Wilson, they reunited with Mason Rudolph on a two-year deal and selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round while remaining hot on the trail of Aaron Rodgers.

Pittsburgh will now be tasked with finding an adequate replacement for Pickens. Though it traded for and extended DK Metcalf in March, there aren't any other alluring outside receiver options on the roster currently. There's several intriguing veterans available, however, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if the Steelers were to acquire one in the near future.

Though the organization saw quite a bit of upheaval on offense, it was a necessary adjustment that it hopes will lead to a more successful 2025 campaign.