The Pickens Trade Repercussions for the Dolphins

A controversial NFL star was traded Wednesday morning, but it wasn't Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey or wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

The trade involved wide receiver George Pickens, who was sent from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys along with a 2027 sixth-round pick for a third-round selection in the 2026 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2027.

While the trade didn't involve them directly, there are some Dolphins angles to this deal.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR POTENTIAL DOLPHINS DEALS?

Depending on who you believe, the perception is the Steelers did well to get (mainly) a third-round pick for Pickens, though one could argue it was a small price for the Cowboys to pay to land a legitimate No. 2 wide receiver to complement CeeDee Lamb.

Of course, the reason the Steelers decided to make the deal was that they'd grown a bit tired of Pickens' personality, which often showed up in bizarre media interactions.

But there is no denying the talent there.

He's not Tyreek Hill, but he has the ability to make highlight catches on a regular basis and averaged almost 950 yards in his three NFL seasons.

Pickens, a second-round pick out in 2022, was traded after three seasons with Pittsburgh. He was entering the final year of his rookie contract and due to $4.2 million in 2025. The Steelers will have to eat only slightly more than $500,000 of cap space based on the prorated portion of his signing bonus.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, inherited $3.7 million of base salary.

This is another way Pickens is very different from Hill or Ramsey.

Both Miami players carry much larger contracts and requrire a much bigger financial commitment from the acquiring team.

This is a low-cost investment for the Cowboys, who can decide whether they want to sign Pickens to a long-term contract.

Any team looking to make a trade for Hill or Ramsey would take on $15 million or $21 million, depending on the player for 2025, with neither player having guaranteed salaries beyond 2025.

There's also a much bigger cap consideration for the Dolphins than what the Steelers had to absorb.

Bottom line: It was much, much easier for the Steelers to trade Pickens, and in the apples-to-apples comparisons of wide receiver, it's difficult to envision the Dolphins doing much better than a third and a swap of late-round picks given the financial considerations, which combine with Hill being much older at the very least offset the fact that Hill is a more dynamic player.

THE ON-THE-FIELD RAMIFICATIONS FOR THE DOLPHINS

A more direct impact for the Dolphins with the Pickens trade is that the Steelers passing game is much less dangerous Wednesday than it was Tuesday.

The Steelers did add former Seattle Seahawks starter D.K. Metcalf in the offseason, but they don't have another wide receiver of note on the roster.

In the Dolphins' last meeting against Pittsburgh, Pickens had six catches for 61 yards and the Steelers' only touchdown in Miami's 16-10 Sunday night victory at Hard Rock Stadium.

There is plenty of time left to pick up a veteran still available on the market, though there's no big name left other than former Raiders first-round pick Amari Cooper, who ended last season with the Buffalo Bills. Perhaps the Steelers might be interested in Gabe Davis after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The other question with the Steelers passing game, of course, is who'll be throwing the passes, though all signs recently have pointed to them signing former Jets starter (actually longtime Packers starter) Aaron Rodgers.

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