The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t give Aaron Rodgers a heads-up about the George Pickens blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys, according to a report.
After months of trade speculation, the Steelers dealt the star receiver and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys on Wednesday morning in exchange for 2026 third and 2027 fifth-round selections. Pickens is heading into the fourth and final year of his rookie contract.
Since his release from the New York Jets, the Steelers have pursued Rodgers in free agency, but the four-time MVP is still deciding between Pittsburgh and retirement. There’s no timeline on Rodgers’ decision, though head coach Mike Tomlin and team owner and president Art Rooney II has expressed optimism that the future Hall of Famer will come aboard.
It’s well-known among football fans that the Jets catered aplenty to Rodgers during his short sweet with the franchise, bringing in ex-Green Bay Packer teammates like Davante Adams, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.
But during his appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show”, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Steelers didn’t give Aaron Rodgers a warning about the pending George Pickens trade:
“My understanding, Rich, is that there was no heads up given. This wasn’t them consulting with Aaron Rodgers on the trade. Aaron Rodgers technically is not on the team right now. There’s this very unusual situation where you think the guy probably is coming, but he’s not actually part of the team. No, they did not give him a heads up on it.”
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Pickens’ antics became a problem with the Steelers brass. In December, Tomlin told reporters that Pickens needed to “grow up” after taking two careless penalties in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 2022 second-round pick became expendable for Pittsburgh after they acquired a new No. 1 receiver, D.K. Metcalf, in a March blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
George Pickens Is A Great Pickup For Cowboys
Pickens hasn’t yet established himself as a true No. 1 receiver, but he should succeed in a pass-heavy Dallas offense led by Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Pickens put up decent numbers without much help in Pittsburgh, but he’ll draw plenty of favorable matchups in Dallas with opposing defenses mostly focused on Lamb.
Also Read: CeeDee Lamb Had An Interesting Reaction To His Dallas Cowboys Trading For WR George Pickens
