Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan recently spoke about the surprising decision to trade wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
“We had three years with George. We had some exciting times,” Khan told the Pittsburgh Press-Gazette’s Brian Batko. “It was just time. The fresh start for both sides was the right thing.”
Khan explained that the Steelers “had conversations internally” as well as with Pickens’ agent, David Mulugheta.
#Steelers GM Omar Khan, speaking for the first time since trading George Pickens, says Pickens did not request a trade, but a fresh start for all parties made sense after some trade calls during the Draft didn’t result in a trade.
“The Cowboys reached out during the week and we…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 9, 2025
“We had a team that called and gave us something worth thinking about,” he added. “We had the conversations… It just made sense that a fresh start was a good idea.”
The decision to trade away Pickens came after the Steelers acquired former Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a second-rounder and a pick swap in the sixth and seventh rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Just a few days after the draft ended, Pittsburgh also signed wideout Robert Woods to a one-year, $2 million contract.
“We wouldn’t have done this if we didn’t feel good about the receiver situation, about our depth here,” Khan said. “I know people make the comparison about last year. It’s not even close to being the same.”
Here’s what George Pickens now will try to overcome in Dallas: There haven’t been many Steelers wide receivers that have left Pittsburgh and gone on to produce more elsewhere. Most all saw their per-game productivity – by yardage – fall off by at least 20 percent, via @PaulHembo. pic.twitter.com/EbaIPEPeMw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 8, 2025
Despite the claims that Pickens has an attitude problem, he never formally requested a trade, Khan explained.
“We had some people inquire during the draft, nothing that really made sense,” he said. “The Cowboys reached out earlier this week, and they proposed something for us to think about.”
The Steelers have had a long history of troubled wide receivers moving on from the team, yet failing to live up to the expectations that were placed on them on their new teams. Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool are just some of the wideouts who were unable to find the success they once attained in Pittsburgh after leaving the organization.
“Some of that’s just really coincidence how it’s played out with the position,” Khan said. “I mean, we’re always trying to get good players, regardless of what position it’s at and at any point in the year… We want to get good players, good people, and we’re chasing a championship. Every decision we make is based on trying to win a championship, not only in the future but this year.”
