In a blockbuster trade, the Dallas Cowboys have acquired wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick. The Cowboys will also receive a seventh-round pick in the deal. The transaction has been confirmed by a Star-Telegram team source.

Pickens, 24, was a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2022 and has accounted for 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over 174 receptions in his three seasons in Pittsburgh. He joins a wide receiver room that is in desperate need of a No. 2 option next to CeeDee Lamb after an offseason that saw Brandin Cooks depart in free agency and the Cowboys not use any of their nine draft picks on a receiver.

After engaging in trade talks with multiple teams in search for a dynamic wide receiver, the Cowboys got a deal done to acquire one of the more polarizing players in the league in exchange for a day-two pick.

While Pickens does bring an elite presence as an outside receiver with his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame and 4.47-second 40-yard dash, he also brings quite a bit of baggage from his time in Pittsburgh. After multiple run-ins with the coaching staff and with opposing players during games with the Steelers, it was clear that Pittsburgh wanted to deal him this offseason. Those intentions heightened after the Steelers acquired D.K. Metcalf in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, effectively upending Pickens’ spot on the depth chart.

Pickens will arrive in Dallas with a big microscope with expected production on the field and concerns about how he could fit in off the field in a locker room that has taken on an importance around culture under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, the Cowboys will have an immediate decision to make on either extending Pickens past 2025 or letting him play out his contract year before hitting free agency next offseason. His roughly $4.2 million cap hit will be more than enough for Dallas to take on for this upcoming season.

The team will begin its offseason team activities (OTAs) on May 19 with Pickens on the field for the first time in a Cowboys uniform. He will join a receiver room that also includes Lamb, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Cropper, Traeshon Holden and Seth Williams. Nick Harris Fort Worth Star-Telegram