FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' search for a No. 2 wide receiver opposite Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb has landed them George Pickens.
The Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a trade Wednesday that will send Pickens to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick. The Cowboys will also send a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Steelers and get back a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Three weeks ago, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted the club was working on "substantive trades" involving players that could be completed before or after the NFL draft.
Had Tetairoa McMillan been available when the Cowboys picked No. 12 in the first round, the wide receiver would have been Dallas' first-round pick, sources said, but he went No. 8 to the Carolina Panthers. The Cowboys did not pick a wide receiver in the remaining six rounds, despite the need.
Pickens, a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that the Cowboys do not plan to extend Pickens' contract and will let him play out the final year.
The trade comes as Pickens' role as the Steelers' top wide receiver appeared to be supplanted after Pittsburgh traded for DK Metcalf in March. The Steelers are also awaiting an answer from quarterback Aaron Rodgers about whether he will play in 2025.
The Cowboys will have their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, back after he missed the final nine games last season with a hamstring avulsion that required surgery. With Lamb and Pickens, the Cowboys have their best wide receiver duo since Lamb was paired with Amari Cooper in 2020-21.
Dallas acknowledged the desire for a No. 2 wideout at several points in the offseason and had conversations with several clubs regarding a trade before setting their eyes on Pickens.
Pickens, 24, had 59 catches for 900 yards and three touchdowns last season. He posted at least 50 receptions, 800 yards and three touchdowns in each of his three seasons with the Steelers.
He missed three games in 2024 because of a hamstring strain and had a number of on-field incidents. Pickens was flagged twice for unsportsmanlike conduct in a Week 13 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. A week earlier, he was involved in a scuffle with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II during a Hail Mary attempt.
"He's just got to grow up, man," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the win over the Bengals. "This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He's got a target on his back because he's George; he understands that. But he's got to grow up. He's got to grow up in a hurry."
Tomlin also reiterated that stance in his end-of-season news conference a month later.
"There's certainly obviously more room for growth there," Tomlin said in January. "I think he covered some ground in 2024, but there's certainly a heck of a lot more ground to be covered, and we'll see where it leaves us."
With Pickens shipped off to Dallas, Calvin Austin III, a 2022 fourth-round pick, becomes the Steelers' leading returning receiver with 548 yards and four touchdowns last season. Beyond Austin, Pittsburgh also returns Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek and signed Robert Woods as a free agent.
Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, appeared in one game last season as he battled several injuries. Woods, 33, spent the past two seasons in Houston and had 203 receiving yards in 2024.
In November, the Cowboys sent a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Panthers for Jonathan Mingo, who caught five passes for 46 yards but did not play with Prescott. Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022, set career highs last season in catches (49), yards (610) and touchdowns (seven, which led the team).
Lamb led the Cowboys with 101 receptions for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns before ending the season on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury with two games remaining.
ESPN's Adam Schefter and Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.