Former Steelers WR Makes Bold George Pickens Claim

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress had quite the take about George Pickens after he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.

Appearing on his "Up On Game" podcast alongside fellow former NFLers LaVar Arrington and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Burress shared his belief that Pickens is better than DK Metcalf, whom Pittsburgh acquired via trade from the Seattle Seahawks back in March.

“How this hurts the Pittsburgh Steelers, they didn’t get any better,” Burress said. “I don’t believe, when it comes down to playing the position and playing the game of football, that DK Metcalf is a better wide receiver than George Pickens. I would not agree to that. We know that George Pickens, when he’s playing and he’s focused, he’s one of the top five ball players at the position. There’s no dispute in that. There’s no doubt about it, but we got to get the young man focused so he can reach his full potential and become one of these elite wide receivers in all of football.”

"I don't believe when it comes down to playing the position and playing the game of football, that DK Metcalf is a better wide receiver than George Pickens."

🎙@plaxicoburress gives his thoughts on the Pickens trade to @LaVarArrington and @housh84 .

via @UPonGAMENetwork pic.twitter.com/LEdmF6g1qH
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) May 11, 2025

There's a potential argument to be made that Pickens is more talented than Metcalf, though that has yet to translate into better production.

Over his three seasons since entering the league in 2022, Pickens has hauled in 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns in 48 games. Metcalf, on the other hand, posted 222 catches for 3,154 yards and 19 touchdowns in the same amount of contests over that stretch.

Those numbers don't paint the full picture, as Metcalf was already a veteran during that timeframe and played in a higher-yielding offense than Pickens, but it offers a piece of evidence as to why the Steelers opted to go with the former over the latter.

Pickens' behavioral concerns also likely played a role in Pittsburgh's decision to ship him off to the Cowboys as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract.

Furthermore, with Metcalf in place as the team's No. 1 receiver after signing a new four-year, $132 million deal, the Steelers took full advantage of the opportunity to recoup assets for a player on an expiring contract while simultaneously putting themselves in a more advantageous position for the future.

Only time will tell if Pickens surpasses Metcalf on the totem pole, but at the moment, it's not hard to see why Pittsburgh made its decision in this case.

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