The Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off the news cycle on Wednesday with an early morning trade bombshell that sent mercurial wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Cowboys fans seemed quite happy about the deal; Pittsburgh fans, less so.
That Pickens was a potential trade piece was not a shock in and of itself, but the timing of the move was a touch unexpected. With the draft in the rearview, the word on the street was that Pittsburgh would be holding onto No. 14 for the time being, or likely at least until his contract was up in 2026. But looks like the front office got antsy. And now, Pickens is heading from the Steel City to the Lone Star State.
A few hours after the news broke, Pittsburgh linebacker Nick Herbig took to his Instagram to bid Pickens farewell, and he kept things short, sweet and encouraging with a nice five-word message for his now-ex teammate: "See you at da top."
Herbig shared the message on his IG story, where he accompanied it with three emojis (including a "heartbreak") plus a video edit.
Nick Herbig to George Pickens on IG after trade #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/EIYBvqj072
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) May 7, 2025
Although Pickens can be a bit ... difficult to manage, he was an excellent weapon for the Steelers' offense across his three seasons with the team. From 2022-2024, he racked up 2,841 total receiving yards across 174 catches, plus 12 receiving touchdowns and one more on the ground.
In Dallas, he'll join a receiver room led by CeeDee Lamb.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers Linebacker Bids George Pickens Farewell With Encouraging Five-Word Message.
