Were Chargers one of the team's laughing at the idea of a George Pickens trade?

Chris Roling | May 9, 2025

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Los Angeles Chargers

Were the Los Angeles Chargers one of the teams laughing at the idea of trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wideout George Pickens?

The Chargers indeed feel like one of those teams that wouldn’t have even considered the idea for very long before Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys got involved and traded for Pickens.

According to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, there were teams with zero interest on the topic, to the point of finding it funny: "Some teams polled by The Athletic at the time laughed at the idea of inviting Pickens into their locker room for any price, let alone a second-day draft pick,"

It certainly fits the Chargers under general manager Joe Hortiz, who has outright steered away from blockbuster moves. While outsiders wondered if Los Angeles might make a big swing on a DK Metcalf or similar while boasting 10 draft picks and roughly $60 million in cap space around free agency…Hortiz settled for Mike Williams and two rookies.

It’s not just Hortiz, either. There’s the whole Jim Harbaugh guy thing to consider with the Chargers now, too.

So, while an aged-24 Pickens with No. 1 upside who only cost the Cowboys a third-round pick and change to acquire might offer upside and be appealing to a wideout-needy team, the Chargers very much feel like one of the organizations that could have laughed off the idea.

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