“Was I surprised?”: Cam Heyward gets 100% real on George Pickens trade to Cowboys

On May 7, the Pittsburgh Steelers shocked the football world when they traded star wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a pair of mid round draft picks.

However, since the trade, fans and analysts have not heard too much information regarding how the Steelers players are feeling after the trade and whether they were surprised by the move.

That was until Tuesday, when star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward discussed the major trade on his popular 'Not Just Football with Cam Heyward' podcast.

Was Cameron Heyward shocked by the George Pickens trade?

Heyward detailed how he was surprised by the trade and wanted to see Pickens and new wide receiver DK Metcalf play alongside one another. However, he also made clear that the trade was beneficial to both parties involved.

"Was I surprised? Yeah. But you know, the game is the game, and I know it benefits both teams. We get another third-round pick, they get a wide receiver to go along with CeeDee Lamb. Would I have liked to see George and D.K. play together? Yeah, but hopefully there's something in the works." (01:05)

The trade in full saw the Steelers trade Pickens and a 2027 sixth round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick.

Where do the Pittsburgh Steelers go after Pickens trade?

The Steelers still have a strong overall roster after the Pickens trade, however, are still in need of some very important positions on the football field. The defensive unit, led by Heyward and T.J. Watt, is arguably the best in the NFL, Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches in the league, and the offense has stars in Metcalf, RB Kaleb Johnson, and TE Pat Freiermuth.

However, for any of those aspects to truly matter, the team will need a stronger QB option than they currently have. Aaron Rodgers has been rumored to join the franchise, yet as things stand, the depth chart features Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and Will Howard.

Heyward is continuing to defy age as he is still one of the most impactful players in the NFL at 36 years old. Last year, he had a ridiculously impressive 71 total tackles, 35 solo tackles, and eight sacks while playing in all 17 regular season games too.