Bombshell NFL trades are rare for the month of May, but one of the Cincinnati Bengals' AFC North rivals did in fact make headlines at the crack of dawn Wednesday.

Per multiple reports, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trading wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJWdPskRrjR

Pittsburgh will receive Dallas' third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft while giving away Pickens and its sixth-round pick in 2027, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson.

This is the second trade involving a wide receiver the Steelers have made in as many months. Pittsburgh sacrificed two 2025 draft picks, including the 52nd overall pick in the second round, to land former DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and subsequently paid the 27-year old a four-year, $132 million contract extension.

Instead of pairing Metcalf and Pickens together for the long haul, the Steelers are rolling with their new No. 1 wideout while sending his predecessor to the NFC to be a No. 2 alongside CeeDee Lamb. 

It's a direct deviation from the route the Bengals took this offseason.

Steelers pull off what many believed the Bengals should've done

It's been a couple months, but debate was rampant surrounding Cincinnati's decision to pay massive contracts for both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. $239,461,765 in salary cap space is being dedicated to the Bengals' 1 and 1A pass-catchers through the 2028 season, and Chase's deal extends all the way to 2029. 

It's not the first time a club has prioritized paying two wideouts near the top of the market, but doing so in the same offseason, let alone the same day, was a one-of-a-kind happening. Cincinnati is confident in building around its unique strength despite plenty of pundits disagreeing with the philosophy.  

Click here to accept Marketing cookies and load this content

If they so desired, the Bengals could've traded one of Higgins or Chase for compensation even greater than what the Steelers are getting for Pickens after dropping a bag for Metcalf. Many would've lauded them for acquiring future draft capital to help build the rest of the team around the stars still left on the roster. 

Building around two highly-paid receivers is a move for the bold. The Bengals left no doubt about where they stand. The Steelers proved they're not quite ready for that life just yet.

There are, of course, more dynamics to consider. Chase and Higgins are actual off-field friends as much as they are on-field partners. Their relationship is what made Cincinnati's decision as easy as it was. Metcalf and Pickens joining forces to replicate that was an unknown. Each player has had instances indicating how much they value their own personal gain. Pickens specifically has earned a reputation for being a wild card, and perhaps Pittsburgh just wanted to move on before he left on his own in free agency next offseason.

Regardless, the pairing would've been tough for opposing defenses to stop, and the Bengals would've had to game plan for it twice a year. Metcalf will instead take Pickens' place and lead the receiving corps with an unknown at quarterback.

A fork in the road shared by two division rivals saw one team turn right and the other left. Time and draft picks used will tell us which path was correct. 

Bengals 2025 NFL Draft class makes winners and losers out of multiple starters, former first-round pick, and many more

Here are the players impacted the most by Cincinnati’s newest draft class.