The idea has been floating around for a week now: if the Steelers regret moving on from George Pickens, why not just bring him back?
It sounds simple enough on paper, especially with Pittsburgh’s offense not getting the kind of jolt it expected after trading for DK Metcalf. Add in the fact that Pickens is on an expiring deal, Dallas sits at 3-5, and the trade deadline is closing in, and you can see why some Steelers fans - and even a few former NFL players - have kicked around the notion.
But Pittsburgh can’t do it.
NFL rules block a team from trading for a player it dealt away within two calendar years of the original move. Since Pickens was traded on May 7, 2025, the Steelers would have to wait until after May 7, 2027 to reacquire him by trade.
And even if that rule didn’t exist, the Steelers still would have no interest in reopening that door.
Pickens’ exit from Pittsburgh wasn’t about talent. It was about everything else.
He was one of the league’s most gifted receivers, a 24-year-old with a rookie contract and the kind of size and acrobatic ability that make him a problem for defenses. But the Steelers had seen enough of the other side of the equation.
His effort could be shaky when the ball didn’t come his way, and his interactions with the media often raised eyebrows. In one January 2025 session, Pickens refused to answer a question and walked away.
That was the kind of stuff Pittsburgh was done dealing with.
So while the speculation has picked up, the reality is straightforward: the Steelers can’t trade for Pickens right now, and they wouldn’t want to after everything he put them through.
Meanwhile, Pickens has already put together a 1,400-yard, nine-touchdown Pro Bowl season in Dallas in 2025, and rumors are beginning to swirl that the Cowboys could move him before the deadline.
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