The Seattle Seahawks executed a bombshell earlier this offseason when they traded superstar wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a second-round pick (and a late-round pick swap). Trading Metcalf delivered a blow to the offense. The Seahawks felt they had little choice after the relationship between team and player soured.
All John Schneider and Mike Macdonald could control at that point was the value received back for Metcalf’s services. Indications are the Seahawks did well in negotiations, but future deals ultimately determine that. Well, Seattle received confirmation when the Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week for a third-round pick, one round lower than the pick the Seahawks netted for Metcalf.
The 24-year-old Pickens produced 900 receiving yards in 14 appearances this past season. As a sophomore in 2023, he captured the first 1,000-yard campaign of his career. Pickens is slated to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2025. He’s three years younger than Metcalf, who signed a five-year, $150 million extension with the Steelers upon the completion of the trade.
The Seahawks used the second-rounder they received for Metcalf, plus their own third-rounder, to complete a trade with the Tennessee Titans during the draft, moving all the way up from No. 52 to No. 35. Seattle selected South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. With the seventh-round pick they landed in the late-round-pick-swap with the Steelers, Schneider drafted running back Damien Martinez.
The Pickens deal proves the Seahawks did well in negotiations with the Steelers for Metcalf.