Tim Benz: As Steelers smother George Pickens trade talk, others give it oxygen

As the NFL draft approaches Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers are tamping down any conversation about attempting to trade George Pickens so that the club may be able to move into the second round.

Last month, the Steelers gave their 2025 second-round pick to Seattle in exchange for fellow wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The dual threat of Metcalf and Pickens at receiver is intriguing. However, Pickens is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. He’s going to want a massive raise — perhaps close to the $33 million per year Metcalf is making.

If the Steelers don’t give Pickens a deal he likes, he may hold out, hold in, demand a trade or potentially become a season-long distraction.

Yet general manager Omar Khan threw cold water on the idea of moving Pickens for draft picks this year.

“We’re glad we have George and DK here. I think they’re going to be exciting for everyone to watch,” Khan said Monday.

Khan also didn’t seem to signal any urgent alarm bells about the need to get back into the second round this year.

“When you get to the draft, you get excited about a lot of players,” Khan admitted. “I wish I had 50 picks right now because there’s a lot of good players out there. We’ll see how it shakes out.”

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Not long after Khan made those comments, though, Yahoo Sports NFL Insider Charles Robinson went on 93.7 The Fan and said the Dallas Cowboys may be interested in acquiring Pickens.

“The Cowboys are hunting wide receivers, and they really want to get a wide receiver at (pick No.) 12,” Robinson told “The PM Team” on Tuesday afternoon. “They want an elite-level No. 2 receiver. There is not necessarily an elite-level No. 2 (in the draft). Since (Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones is talking about trades, teams are wondering if that is George Pickens.”

Those comments dovetail with others made by Jones at Dallas’ pre-draft presser Tuesday.

“We’re looking at two things that could happen before or after the draft. Two pretty substantive trades. Been working on today,” Jones said via CBS Sports.com.

That led CBS’s Garrett Podell to advance the idea that a trade for Pickens could be what Jones referenced.

“Pickens would be the type of field stretcher Dallas could use opposite CeeDee Lamb, with 12 catches of 30 or more yards in 2024, the second-most in a season since 2006 when that stat first was tracked,” Podell wrote. “Dallas also wouldn’t have to rely on Pickens as its WR1 with Lamb on board, plus quarterback Dak Prescott is a steady leader in the locker room. Pickens to Dallas could make some sense.”

I have long been an advocate of trading Pickens. Whatever rookie receiver they get this year in the draft to replace Pickens won’t be as good as he is. But he won’t cost as much, you know he’ll be at training camp, he’ll be easier to manage and he’ll definitely be on the roster next year.

At least publicly, though, Khan doesn’t sound like he has much interest in walking down that path. If he doesn’t, then I at least think he should be aggressive in figuring out other ways to get back into the second round.